Life worth living
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: Rick Castle had a guy in the most important place on Earth. He had forewarning of how the world would end only because he had a guy feeding him information. Now he faced a dilemma. He and Kate had a blowout fight over her captain's death and she threw him out of her life. Would he save her? Or would he let her suffer the fate of everyone else?
1. Chapter 1

There was a heightened mood around New York City and the current situation had people feeling that way for good reason. People were running all over the city trying to escape with their lives. But it wouldn't matter where or how far anyone ran because the world as we know it is coming to an end. There are times in everyone's lives where there was always something that they should have done or said or completed before their life ended. It happens all the time. You keep putting off whatever it was you wanted to do but before you know it, times up….

To put this in perspective let's go back in time to about four years and eight months ago. Now Rick Castle has seen what Hollywood can do when the end of the world comes knocking on your doorstep. There are movies about volcanoes, earthquakes, killer tsunamis, meteors, and then, of course, there is the extinction-level event. But what Hollywood does not realize is that what they are selling is nothing that real life can offer…it's worse.

Years ago, the governments of many nations had implemented a system that would detect any threats from deep space. This advanced system would warn these nations if anything would come close to impacting with the earth. Anything from space that could threaten the earth as a whole would be identified. This would include anything that had a mass of more than a half-mile in length and weighed more than one hundred thousand tons. They had thought that something this small would not cause that much damage no matter where it landed on the earth's surface. What they had not expected to deal with was something that was almost the size of the moon colliding with earth.

Athos was on a collision course with earth. They named it Athos which in Greek means giant because it exceeded the parameters of what their system could detect. It isn't that the early warning system couldn't detect it, the consortium foolishly never thought that something this large would never go undetected. What they did not understand was how a planet-sized mass could evade the system they had set up to detect such a situation. They had somewhere in the neighborhood of eighteen months before Athos would hit Earth head-on.

Whatever happened Rick knew that all bets about surviving this were off eighteen months from now. He had an inside man giving him intel on the situation at hand. He had a guy everywhere. It might have cost him a small bundle, but the information he was given was well worth the money he spent on it. He had a plan and for it to work it could not be revealed to anyone in any way. That included his family and one certain detective.

_**Four years ago…  
**_  
He is sure that a limited amount of people around the world with money to invest had a plan for doing the same thing he was going to do. His obsession with this plan just might save his and his family's future. For him, it began about four some time ago when he was intrigued by an advertisement for property on the moon. He researched buying property on Mars instead and what he found out was that although most people thought it was a scam or a farce, there was no way to buy property on any planet. Who would enforce ownership rights on another planet anyway? He had decided to concentrate on Mars because Mars had the closest hours in a day than any other planet in the solar system. The axis on Mars was similar to Earth's and Mars had North and South poles. The only drawback was that there was no oxygen to breathe and the average temperature on the surface was -80.

He has money but not enough for what he had planned. So, after an extensive internet search and by word of mouth to find groups of people with money similar to his fortune, he had stumbled upon a group of men and women who thought along the same lines as he did. After an initiation fee that he gladly paid they met on the 1st of every month. What was discussed were plans on how to inhabit Mars. They had scientific parts of it covered in relation to how to live on Mars. Unknown to NASA, SpaceX has been sending manned ships to Mars and back for the last three years. The space company had only made 3 trips to the red planet but they had a massive amount of work done in a short amount of time. They rotated the work crews to work in the time it took a second mission to arrive. They had laid the groundwork for the first colonization of Mars.

The habitats that the first crew had made were their starting point. From there, there was to be an exercise room, a medical facility, a main gathering area, a greenhouse of sorts and separate living quarters for those who decided to leave Earth forever, a solar panel farm covering somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.6 square miles that would supply all the power that they would ever need. The amount of living space was limited to about five hundred people. Rick was one of those people. In the beginning, he was more of a person who doubted what was going to happen that was until he'd read the reports from his contact at the group he belonged to. The earth would be impacted by a moon-sized asteroid. He wasn't going to tell Alexis or his mother what he had in mind but soon he would let them in on what was going on. The second crew who had picked up were the first crew left off after new materials were brought to Mars and made magnificent strides in personal living areas. They weren't that big but they provided shelter from the -81 degree days on the red planet. The oxygen issue was solved by scientists who were contracted by SpaceX. Along with using sunlight they had created a pump, filtration system, and a powerful laser that converted carbon dioxide which is the majority of Mars's atmosphere into oxygen. Photosynthesis is the process that gives us oxygen to breathe on Earth. It allows plants, bacteria, and algae to take carbon dioxide and, with the help of a little sunlight, turn it into the oxygen we all breathe. But the SpaceX scientists have taken photosynthesis out of the equation and have managed to make oxygen (O2) by zapping carbon dioxide (CO2) with a laser.

In chemistry, the general wisdom is that molecules, if we were to anthropomorphize them, are lazy. Carbon dioxide, when its bonds are broken into its component parts, takes the "minimum energy path," meaning it will break into one oxygen atom and a carbon monoxide molecule (CO), because, "it possesses a much more stable diatomic bond than O2."

The number of people who were going to live on Mars were law-abiding men and women. A majority of the group of five hundred were titans of industry, people who came from old money and people like Rick who barely had the funds to get to Mars. But with the right investments (aggressive ones) he would meet the fifty-million-dollar price tag.

That fifty million would guarantee passage for himself, his daughter and his mother on the third SpaceX ship to leave from the Earth days before Athos hit the planet. He was upset when his mother sat him down for a talk after he gave her the news about Athos.

"Richard, there is a time to do what you must and this is that time. Son, I am seventy-nine years old. Can you see me living on Mars? What would be the reason for me to travel there? And don't tell me that it's because you want your mother there. It's time to cut the cord so to speak. I will live out my remaining days here on this planet where I was born. I would never survive the trip and I'm sure that you burying me when we get there is not on the top of your to-do list."

"Mom? Why don't you want to stay alive? Enjoy the years that you could have left?" Rick asks.

"Richard, I have lived my life. Unlike you, I have done everything I set out to do in my life. If Mars is where you want to live now then who am I to stop you?"

"Who will care for you until the end of the world?"

"I'm sure time in your loft and many, many bottles of a great red will help me numb the whole world is ending thing."

Rick could only stare at her hoping that she would change her mind and come with them. But then she brought up a point he had neglected.

"Tell me, Richard, have you told anyone else about what is going to transpire very shortly?" Martha asked him.

"Not a soul because if I did there would be pandemonium all over the tri-state area."

"Richard you know what you need to do. So, stop pussyfooting around. Get up off your ass and go see her."

"Mother! You know things between us and not the best right now. She told me that we were finally done. I confronted her after her captain was killed in the hanger then she told me that her life was her life and I was not a part of it."

"Seriously Richard you are going to kill the only thing that you love? Because if you don't tell her what's about to happen, the love of your life will be gone…. forever. There are no do-overs here."

He could only stare at her with no answer to her question.

**This is far from my comfort zone and nothing I have written about before, that title goes to djinni14 he is the king of syfi. I had this idea while writing another multi-chapter story which I will be posting later this year. I hope you are liking the result.**

**A/N: Continue yes or no?**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Two years have gone by since the discovery of Athos…**_

Athos was still undetectable by the human eye. But telescopes that were trained to the right area of Athos path had no problem seeing it. Many telescopes had that capability and the United States government had control over 9 of them. The one not in their control was the one at Big Bear Solar Observatory – New Jersey Institute of Technology (California). This college had the ability to not only see Athos but they could also calculate when the planet-sized asteroid would impact with Earth. The government was doing everything in its power to stop them from finding Athos. If they didn't then all hell would break loose.

Society as we know it would break down. Governments would crumble, crime would run unchecked, emergency services would be overwhelmed, and many more people would die even before Athos hit the planet. There would be a breakdown of where your money is. This and this alone would shake any red-blooded American to his or her core. And when it's all said and done nothing would save you in the end. As they say, you can't take it with you.

Detective Kate Beckett had seen the worst the human race could do to one another. She had even been the victim of a sniper bullet herself. But what she was just told she has a hard time believing. Her ex-partner shows up out of the blue and tells her that everyone on the planet has less than two and a half years to live.

It's been two years since she told him to get out of her life and he did exactly that. After the fight they had at her apartment, the door shut and that was the last she had seen of him until his phone call an hour ago. She thought he would come back like he always had, but her words to him let him see the side of her she never wanted him to see. Maybe he had enough. She was getting her life under control then, but when she was shot the gap between them widened even more than there ever was. He accused her of crawling into her mother's murder and never coming out. After he told her this, she told him that they were done. Since then she has had a lot of time to replay what he had said about her. After about two months of rewinding their fight in her head, she realized that he was right.

After she was shot and fully recovered, she and Josh never made it past the two-year mark of being together. She knew they were not right for each other and they never would be, so she broke it off with him. It turns out that she was not the only woman he was seeing. He had a plastic surgeon on the side. She read in the wedding announcements in the Ledger a while back that they were engaged to be married.

Kate looks up from her coffee cup and asks Castle for a straight answer.

"So let me get this straight. You expect me to believe that you have inside information on an asteroid that is the size of the moon and it will impact with the Earth in about two and a half years from now?"

"I do and it will."

"Castle even I find that a little hard to believe. Don't you think that the government would have experts working on this?"

"Kate, the president's science adviser is a nitwit. He thinks that the milky way is a candy bar with a gooey middle inside. I've met the man and trust me and he's not all there. The government is keeping this a secret. Could you imagine if news of this got out to the general public?"

"Castle I know you. You have a very vivid imagination. Are you sure that this is all this is?"

Rick just gave her a disgusted look. He should have known better than to tell her.

"I never should have listened to my mother. You know I expected this from Gina or Paula but not from you." Rick tells her as he gets up from the booth that they are sitting at.

"Castle, where are you going? You disappear for two years and now out of the blue, you tell me that the world is coming to an end. What do you want me to believe?"

"I expected you to believe me! Would that be so hard? I have never lied to you, Kate. Not once!"

He locks eyes with her and just stares at her face and he can tell that no amount of talking could convince her.

"Never mind Beckett. Eventually, you'll find out that what I tried to tell you here today is the truth. But by the time it happens, you won't be able to do anything about it to save yourself because it will already be too late. Enjoy your life detective." Rick takes out a twenty-dollar bill and leaves it on the table to settle the check. He turns and walks away and by the time he reaches the door he throws a look over shoulder one last time to see her.

As he does, he sees her with a confused look on her face. It's like she wants to believe him but isn't sure of herself or the fact that he told her that the world was ending.

He turns back and opens the door leaving the coffee shop. He has places to go and people to see. Forty-five minutes later Rick is checking in with United Airlines for his flight to Houston, Texas at JFK. The group of people he's been dealing with for the past two years meets in a different city on the first of each month for security reasons. This month it's in Houston. He'll get the rundown along with everyone else of what needs to be done, what has been done, and the time frame for new suggestions the group can come up with and when it needs to be done.

The meetings don't last that long four to six hours at the most. When he gets there he can give his input after receiving his report. There are many times in past meetings that he has come up with money-saving and time-saving ideas that people look to him for guidance in some instances. They speak about how life will be on Mars and what they will do when the habitat is complete. They have enough food to be delivered to last for two years before the need to start cultivating their own. The group has even thought of that. The sun doesn't deliver the same intensity as it does on earth. But the sun will provide enough sunlight to grow food in a controlled environment. The greenhouse is situated next to the solar panel farm. It's big enough to grow food to get them through a regular farming season on earth. The rest will be stored for future needs. The one thing that the group suggested they do when they were building the habitat was to have underground passageways between the main gathering area and the food storage area. That request has already been addressed by the crews that were constructing the habitat.

He spends the rest of the day in Houston and gets familiar with the layout of the habitat that's been completed so far. Pretty much everything is on track for a departure from the earth in a little under two years. The group gets updated trajectory's and the distance Athos is from the earth.

The meetings are over for this month and he can't wait to get to the airport to return to New York. When he gets back from this meeting, he will sit his daughter down and tell her exactly what's going to happen in the coming two years.

Just as he is about to leave the meeting place in the hotel, a young woman comes up to him. It's Hanna and she sets up the meeting place location and the itinerary for the meetings.

"Mr. Castle, Mrs. Meyers wants a word with you before you leave for home."

Rick walks back into the conference room and not only does he see Mrs. Meyers but he sees almost everyone who was at the meeting except for maybe ten of the members. He takes a seat and waits.

"I'm glad I caught all of you before you had the chance to leave. There have been updates regarding Athos and you should know about them before you leave." Mrs. Meyers tells them.

The group quiets down and listens to Mrs. Meyers as she starts talking.

"I have new information to share with all of you. It seems that Athos has increased in speed. It is now traveling at 26,650 miles per hour. Up from 21,300 miles per hour. As best as we can tell when Athos moved past the sun it started gaining speed. It has also reached a surface temperature of 1900⁰F. The core temperature increased slightly. Both of these findings will increase the time it comes in contact with Earth I'll have an updated figure for the impact time at the next meeting. Needless to say, this will push up our time table. God's speed to you all." Mrs. Meyers turned and sought out Hanna to get the new updates into the soon to be a new timetable.

Rick was in the air thinking about how he was going to tell his daughter. His mother already knew and was living it up. She was sworn to secrecy and so far she has not spilled anything. When he landed back at JFK, he powered up his phone and noticed that he had two voice mails. One was from Alexis the second was odd. It was from a number he didn't recognize. He dialed his voicemail and almost dropped the phone listening to the message….


	3. Chapter 3

If anyone was surprised it was him. He stood in the middle of the arrivals terminal at JFK and he listened to the message he had just heard one more time. It was the same and nothing had changed. Kate Beckett wanted to meet with him to talk.

He had a good idea about what she wanted to talk to him about, he just wasn't ready to do so right now. He had a lot to go over with his daughter and that was his priority. He'd return her call sometime tomorrow.

Xx

After Rick had told her what was to happen, Kate had done some research into what he told her and she was surprised that she could not find anything relating to any kind of planet-sized asteroid coming anywhere near the earth on the internet. She did find that there were many near misses and she thought that was rather strange because she never heard anything about them coming that close. A near miss according to the scientists at CENOS is 3.5 million miles away from the earth. She thought if this was the distance for a near miss and Castle was right, why didn't these scientists catch one that was the size of a planet hurtling at them? This was another reason not to believe what she was being told by him.

It wasn't until later in the day when she had brought up the subject with Espo and Ryan. She asked her questions hypothetically of course. She was not ready for what she heard in response.

"So guys, if you knew that the world was going to come to an end and you had time to prepare for it what would you do?" Kate asked.

Ryan chimed in first.

"What's there to prepare for boss? If the world is coming to an end there is nothing you can do about it."

"Hold on a second, how is the world going to meet its end?" Espo asks.

"Hypothetically, let's say that the planet would be destroyed by an asteroid the size of the moon."

"Well, I agree with Ryan. There is no sense because everyone will be obliterated if that happens. Actually, I think that at least half the population of the planet would want to go out on their own terms if that was really going to happen."

Kate just looked at both of them like they knew something so she pressed a little more.

"If someone were to find out about how this might happen where would you go?" Kate asks.

Ryan and Espo look at each other and then look to Kate.

"Beckett do you know something that we don't?"

"No. I'm just curious that's all."

Nodding Ryan starts.

"There would be nothing you'd be able to find on the web about this because it would be too big. There would be too many agencies trying to hide it, oh don't get me wrong, you would find it on the everyday web but then time would have run out and it'd be too late. If you really wanted to find something this big it would be on the dark web."

"Come on that's not a thing…is it?"

"Beckett you can buy anything on the dark web. From machine guns to marijuana and heroin to handguns. How do you think these kids are killing all the other kids in these school shootings? A little bit of cash and they deliver an AR-15 to your doorstep. Anything can be bought for a price. Information is worth its weight in gold to the right buyer among other things."

The boys had work to do and they got to it. But later that night Kate would look deeper into the dark web.

Xx

She sits at her rollup desk at her apartment and researches the dark web. What she finds is nothing she expected. In the time she has arrived back at her apartment and had a quick shower, something to eat, she already has a Bit coin account and access to a dark web information site named Alpha Bay. There she found that anything could be bought for a price. She found espionage, including services, customization and targeting support services such as tutorials, credentials to be sold, phishing programs, refunds for things she never paid for, customer data, operational data, financial data, intellectual trade secrets, and the topic that caught her eye the most was other emerging threats.

Emerging threats. That in itself sounded ominous. So, she searched for information that told her what Rick said might have been the truth. She is shocked to find out that there is information that can be bought that has detailed plans from other governments that have a plan in effect in case of an event that would end all life on Earth. She purchases a packet from the dark site and the process is a tedious one. First, Bit coin is placed in escrow. Then she can request what she wants and even has the time to take it for a test drive so to speak. If she agrees with the seller that this is what she wants then her funds are released to the seller.

She downloads the dark doc and opens it when it's done. In it, she finds the plans for various countries to warn their people about what to do when their country is faced with an extinction-level event. It's not good. Israel had issued a curfew starting next week ordering that all people will be indoors at sundown if not they will be shot on sight. And there are other countries who are doing like-minded ideas. Jordan and Egypt have shut down their borders to any non-naturalized citizens. For once it seems that all the fighting not only in the Middle East has ceased, but all over the globe has seemed to stop as well. Canada, Mexico, Japan, and a majority of the European Union nations have decided that they will send a select group of men and women who are proficient in colonizing/terraforming planets. A group of 10 people will be sent from each country to colonize the moon. The European Union consists of 20 countries so that's 200 men and women. What she does not find is that China, the Russian Federation, and the United States mention nothing about having any forewarning about anything as big as the moon colliding with the Earth.

That in itself raises so many red flags in her mind. She knows this because her government and the current administration would never rightfully admit that anything was going to happen to the citizens of her country unless they were forced to. She digs deeper into what the European Union is doing as far as sending men and women to the moon. What she finds is that they have already been sending up supply ships of a sort to drop off supplies on the moon. Germany, France, Spain, Austria, and Italy have decided to have their habitat will be where the Apollo 12 lunar mission had landed in 1969. Oceanus Procellarum at 3° 11'52" South latitude and 23°23'8" West longitude is where they selected to construct their base because of the closeness to the moon's equator. Thinking that this will be the last place to be struck by any meteorites or asteroids that are floating around in space. No other reports have given any progress on how far they have come since they started dropping off supplies.

What she does find odd is that there are no plans for what Australia and New Zealand are doing. This is another red flag. She knows that Australia would purposely blackout any kind of plans that would give everybody else a head start on surviving an E.L.E. She searches the dark web and finds nothing to indicate they are even in the space race. But she does realize one thing, Castle was not bullshiting her. Not only has she considered him crazy but she has probably put a strain on whatever partnership they did have from two years ago. She walks away from her desk after signing out of her browser and rolls the roll-top desk closed.

Knowing that she needs to make an apology she picks up her phone and dials Castle's number. She's not surprised when it goes directly to voicemail. She's polite when she leaves her message asking him to call her back she probably won't hear back from him anytime soon. Yep, she screwed up once again.

Xx

Rick takes the car service back to the loft from JFK and he's lucky to find that his mother is nowhere in sight and his daughter is up in her room. He doesn't know what to open with first. The fact that they'll be able to finish living out their lives, or that the rest of the planet will no longer exist. He knows Alexis and she would do anything to save as many people as she could. It's embedded in her DNA to keep people alive. And for that, he does not blame her. But as he thinks about what to tell her and he knows he's going to need to be brutal in order to get his point across. He will use the fact that they have been given a second chance. They will survive and that is worth all the money he is spending to get off this rock. He places his roll behind suitcase in his room and decides that a quick shower is in order to get the days dirt off his body. When he's finished, he gets dressed in casual clothes and takes a seat in the living room. He goes over in his head one last time what he wants to tell her and he has a copy of the last report that he received from the Houston meeting if she needs hard facts.

"Alexis can you come down here, please."

Xx

She was never one to wonder about her father but with his string of bad choices in women he has made since he left the detective, she knows that somethings up with him and whoever he is seeing now. She knows this because he called her Alexis. When he wants to have a serious talk that's what he uses and when he's just kidding around or joking with her, he calls her pumpkin. So now she knows that whatever is going to come next is going to be serious. She takes her time cleaning up her workspace in her bedroom namely her desk of all her homework and files it away nice and neat. She walks over to her ensuite bathroom and takes a look at herself in the mirror to make sure she is presentable for what is probably going to be the end of his dating life. She knows that he has been serious about the bubble-headed blonde he's been dating and they probably are going to take it to the next step. That's fine with her as long as this blonde, Mandy, she thinks her name is doesn't try to be her stepmother. She's 19 years old the time for stepmothers has long since passed. She quietly descends the stairs and sees him sitting the couch. He's not dressed in his usual button-down shirt with slacks to go with it. He's dressed more casually. That alone makes her wonder what is going to tell her.

"Hey dad. What's going on?"

"Alexis we have to talk about future events," Rick tells her.

_She knew it. He's going to get married again to yet another bimbo. God when will he ever learn that they're only after his money?_

"What I'm going to tell you now is going to be something that will be hard for you to believe."

Alexis just sits there with her hands in her lap waiting for the other shoe to fall.

"Go ahead dad, I'm ready." She waits for him to say something.

"For about the last two and a half years a group of people, one of which is me, have been paying SpaceX for making scheduled deliveries to the planet Mars. What they have been bringing up there is the first phase of where we are going to be spending the rest of our lives. They have already started to build the habitat which we will be staying in. The greenhouse has been built and is surviving the Martian temperatures. They have also built a solar panel farm to provide us with the power we will need to survive on Mars. The solar power will be stored in batteries and it will operate the heaters we will need to keep warm in the habitat it will also provide breathable air within the habitat. We are paying them to do this because in a little less than two years the planet that you know as Earth will no longer exist. There is an asteroid called Athos heading towards us and it is on a direct collision course with Earth. When it does become visible there will be pandemonium in every part of the world, that I can guarantee. But also, by that point, there will be nothing that anyone will be able to do to escape the planet."

Alexis looks like a ghost. Her face is completely ashen. And it looks like she's even having trouble breathing. This is not what she had expected at all. She was expecting her father to tell her that he was going to marry Mandy or whatever her name was. She has become unable to comprehend what he just told her.

Rick takes her hand and tries to get her to look at him but it's no use. She's just staring off into oblivion not knowing what he just said is real or not. The news he gave her is something that no one her age should be hearing. But the fact that he had made arrangements when knowledge of this meteor was in its infancy, he had a head start. It takes Alexis about a good fifteen minutes before she's able to look at him.

"D-dad?"

"Yes Alexis, what I just told you is true. For the last two years, we have been meeting in various cities every month. And by we, I mean the group that I'm a part of. There are about 500 of us in total who will be escaping Earth to live on Mars."

"Wait how long have you known about this?" She asks.

"I've had people in the right places for about two years now. Athos is supposed to impact with the Earth in less than 24 months from now. Now the reason I'm telling you this is that I was able to secure passage for both of us. I know this is going to be quite an adjustment for you and me but we need to survive pumpkin. There is no way in hell I would leave you here to suffer."

"What about Grams? You just going to leave her here to die?"

"Alexis listen to me. Your grandmother has decided that staying here is what she wants to do. Do the math honey she's 79 years old now do you really think that she would live very much longer on Mars if she survived the trip? I know what you're thinking and I tried to do the same thing you would do and make her go. But then she gave me some very sound advice. She told me to put myself into her shoes. What would I do if the situation was reversed? After thinking about it for many days I saw the way she was thinking. Alexis, she has lived her life and she's lived a full one at that. She is going out on her own terms because she's living her life her way."

"But dad… I love her! I'll miss her."

"As do I sweetheart and I will miss her too. But she has made her choice and I have to honor that."

"So when exactly will this happen?"

Rick pulls out the report he was given from the Houston meeting and hands it to her. While she is reading it he will make dinner, something lite so it doesn't upset her stomach because he knows that after reading the report he just gave her she will be making a couple of trips to the bathroom to throw up.


	4. Chapter 4

He was surprised by her response to the news he gave her a few minutes ago and she just sat there looking at him with a thousand questions written all over her face but said nothing. She was taking it pretty well and she only had to go to the bathroom to throw up once. The detailed report from Houston he gave her just described everything they had done on Mars up until last month. She wasn't as pale as she was when he gave her the news initially. If it was anyone who needed a justification for what was happening with her life, it was Alexis. After she finished reading the report, he had whipped up something quick for them to eat. They ate in silence. He knew that she had many questions to ask him and he expected that because he knew her all too well and he also knew that she would wait until after she digested her food before she made any kind of attempt at ask him anything.

In a bold move, he watched as Alexis got up from the island countertop, walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out an outstanding bottle of chardonnay. Then she took two glasses down from the overhead glass holder above the granite countertop and poured them both a glass after she opened the bottle. Returning to the high-top chair she passes him a glass and they clink their glasses together in a toast where she says "To humanity."

He can only nod to her. She toys with the stem of her glass. looks him in the eye and then asks him…

"So, dad let me get this straight, in a little less than two years the planet that we live on will be nothing but a shell of what it used to be is that right?"

"Yes"

"And you have taken it upon yourself to give us a second chance on a planet that is about one hundred forty million miles from Earth?"

"I have." Alexis starts shaking her head.

"I'm going to be alone. I won't be able to get married; I won't be able to make a difference. I mean, I'll lose everything dad. All my friends, I'll never graduate from college and I'll never find the man that I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with!"

"Alexis there is no way I am leaving you to die here. Because that's the end result here. You need to understand that this is it. Game over, there are no do-overs."

"This does not make what you're telling me any easier to swallow."

"I know it doesn't sweetie, but I had an opportunity to get us off the planet before it is destroyed and I took it."

"I know you would have. But what are we going to do up there on Mars? There will be no governing body, no law, no structure, how will we live? We are from Earth. The people we are with have knowledge about all the bad things that people can do to one another. I'm sure that once we are there on Mars and our planet is gone and the men and women living there will test what could happen without any law to stop them, or the police to enforce those laws. In essence we will be a society that will not have the rules of law. And from my point of view that is unacceptable."

"Alexis, I'm sure that we will not all become people who have a total disregard for the law. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that because of what we have put together the men and women who are sent to Mars will be grateful to be alive."

"I'm not so sure dad. But for now, we'll take a wait and see attitude."

Just as they were going to take a break with the Mars situation, Martha came downstairs looking like a goddess. She looked like she was floating towards them when she walked. And when she looked at her son, she could see the serious look plastered on his face. As she approached them, she could tell that something was off with him.

"Richard, why the long face?"

He gave his mother a pointed look and glanced towards Alexis. The second he did his facial expression turned to sadness and then she knew that he had told her what she already knew.

"Kiddo, I am assuming that your father has given you quite a blow." Martha says as she places her hand on Alexis' shoulder.

"Gram, why on Earth, sorry bad choice of words but anyway why would you turn down the chance to be with us? I mean you are a part of us and we need you."

"Listen to me very carefully Alexis, this comes from the heart. I have lived my life to the fullest. I have acted on Broadway, won numerous awards and two Tony's, I even had a very popular TV series with a very large green man. I raised a very responsible, upstanding man and I have thrown a little of my life experience into your life. So, trust me when I say to you that I've done everything in my life that I'd set out to do."

"What will you do without us?"

"Oh honey there is nothing for you to do because you don't need me, but the fact that you and your father will live on, and I know that will be a relief for me in my heart I'll know that you'll be safe. I however will raid your fathers liquor cabinet when the time comes and I'm sure that he'll be okay with that. But just to be sure…."

Martha looks towards her son and she can already see him nodding his answer in the affirmative. When she looks back to Alexis, she is wiping tears away from her cheek.

"Gram are you sure that you won't reconsider? There has to be a way to get you to come with us."

"Alexis, the trip alone would be a strain on my delicate body. And could you imagine me moving at 25,000 plus miles per hour in space?" I'd never make it to Mars."

"I am thinking that you could. I'm sure that we would have enough of everything for you to live out your life on Mars with us."

"Alexis while that might be true, I am not one to tempt fate. I will be seeing you off when the time comes. I am so sorry kiddo."

Xx

She had expected his call long before now. But the fact that he has not called gives her false hope. Maybe he had changed his mind and decided not to call her back after she told him that she didn't believe him. But this was a very bitter pill to swallow what did he expect? She had decided to print out most of her research from the dark web she had found because she was going to confront him with it and see if he could tell her what was actually going on.

Never in her life and she thought that he would keep her in the dark. Yeah, he had known about this for two years and that in itself made her think about where their relationship could have gone if she didn't make him walk away. But the fact that he was probably knee-deep in raising the funds at that time to get off the planet was probably his priority. If it gets to it, what is she going to tell the boys, her captain, and her father? These questions would weigh heavy on her in the future.

Xx

"Dad, have you told a certain detective yet?" Alexis asked changing the subject.

"Who I tell and when I tell them is nothing for you to worry about Alexis."

She hit a nerve and she knew it. But the question was should she press the issue? She decided to let it be... for now. But she was still a little upset with him. She is about to ask him a lot more questions about their new life on Mars but before she was able to, Martha decides to needle him as well about a certain detective.

"Richard, I know it's none of my business but grant a dying woman her last wish." Martha kidded him a little.

"Your right mother it is none of your business!"

"Richard I'll have none of that. You won't disrespect your mother. I was the one who gave you the idea in the first place to tell her about what was going to happen so don't get all cocky with me because it went bad and she didn't believe you."

"I'm done with her. She treated me like we were at square one all over again I'm past all that."

"Sometimes I think the brain that God gave you is defective. You do realize that Katherine was shot in the heart and getting back to her normal routine took her almost a year? If I were you, I would cut the woman a little slack. She's been to hell and back and I can tell you that it wasn't easy for her."

"How do you know this mother?"

"Not all of us threw her under the bus when you walked away from her."

"Nooo, this is wrong. You and my daughter have taken her side? You're against me?"

"Richard you need to understand that she was hurting. She never had anyone like you to lean on or confide in and then when you left, she was all alone. Every one of her past relationships never made it past the dating stage only because she was always unsure of how it would work out so she never committed in them."

Rick looks towards his daughter and can see the wistful look on her face. He could tell that she was a part of this as well.

"Alright what do you want me to do about it? She won't believe a word I tell her now and the two-year absence doesn't help matters any."

"Go to her. Make her listen to you. I know that you can be annoying at times, well most of the time and this is one of those times. I know that you still love her."

Rick just hmphed at her last statement. He cared for her but love her? No, that was not possible. Was it?

**A/N #1 A special thanks goes out to FDWojo for designing the cover art for this story. Thank you, Frank,!**

**A/N #2 To the guest I am not able to reply directly to… Thank you for setting me straight with the correct landing sites for Apollo 12 I must have spaced out there (No pun intended!). You were correct and now so is the passage.**


	5. Chapter 5

She often wonders where they would be if she hadn't caused the train wreck that became _them_. She knew that he cared about her and would give her or do anything for her within his power. Hell, he coughed up one hundred grand to catch her mother's killer. And this is why she is wondering why he has not called her yet. She knew that he must have had his hands full with his daughter because if it were anyone else it would be him who broke the news to her. Kate can only wonder how Alexis is taking the news.

Xx

He knows he needs to call her and he will just as soon as he knows that his daughter has asked everything she can think of. It's been a little under thirty-six hours of them talking after his mother left for her "hot date." They are both exhausted but he won't deny her the answers she needs. They talked about how they would live. How they would acclimate to their new surroundings. In essence, how they would live from here on out. He dutifully answered everything she asked him. But it was the later talks they had about the scientific end of it that had her jumping the gun just a little.

"There will be a fully equipped lab there?"

"Yes, there will be. Why sweetie?" Rick asked.

"Because microbiology is an up and coming field here on Earth. Dad, there is so much we can learn from a new planet."

"So this is something that interests you?"

"It is. I am interested in the medical field, but this is not that much of a stretch from actually working on people."

"I see. Now if you have asked everything… can we get some sleep now?"

"Sure daddy."

Xx

He was up early even before his daughter who he knew would sleep to at least noon. And that was good because he needed to face the inevitable. He had to make that call and face the music. He needed to shower and shave and then dress expecting that they would get together at a neutral location. He was surprised to receive a text from her asking him to meet her at her apartment. After he had finished his shower, he dressed in a light blue button-down and a pair of black slacks. He added a pair of loafers and his blue sports coat. He'd never been to her place so in the return text he asked for her address. She sent her address along with her apologies knowing he had never been to her apartment.

He was walking up from the subway when he noticed a coffee shop similar to the one he frequented when he was shadowing her and decided that it was worth the risk. Walking into the shop he ordered his brew and her grande skim latte, with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla he decided against the bear claw. He didn't know if she would be interested in adding calories to her diet.

Fifteen minutes later he finds himself standing in front of her door. He's hesitant to even knock but he knows he needs to. In one hand he has the coffee tray with two coffees and in the other, he has the report from Houston to show her. He needs to get this over with so he raises hand and knocks. He hears movement near the door and without warning, it swings open.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to knock. Come in, Rick." Kate said to him.

She moves to one side to let him pass. When he steps in, he places the Houston report under his arm and drops the coffee on her credenza. He knows that she sees the way he is keeping the report to himself.

"You know Rick it's been a while since we have been together and I feel as if we need to relearn everything about each other all over again."

"Who's fault was that Detective? I for one was finished with you because after the fight we had, well that told me everything about you I needed to know. You were the one who told me to leave. So, I did."

"I deserved that Rick and you're right. After we were done that night I went over our fight in my head word for word and realized that you were right. It's taken me a year-and-a-half of therapy to get past this and I'm trying to be a better person."

"I think that you came to the party just two years a little too late detective."

_This was not how it should be. He was not calling her by her name like he used to but rather using her work title. Not personal at all. He was all business and it showed._

"Rick I need to ask you about something I found out about. Can I show you it to you?"

"You can. But I am not guaranteeing anything."

Kate moves to her kitchen and retrieves the documents she printed from the dark web. She gives them a once over hoping that he can see that she believes in what he told her two days ago. She steps in front of him and hands him her folder.

Rick takes the offered folder and opens it up to the first page. What he reads is something that scares him a little. It details what other countries could do if they were faced with an E.L.E. but what concerns him is that this research has a very detailed plan about what most of the European Union are doing on the moon. They had constructed a living area, a way to grow food in a controlled environment and they even had a handle on how to produce oxygen. The only problem he could see was that they would all freeze to death before anything could be done about it. They had solar panels but the sun would not be able to recharge anything because the sun would not provide enough power to store in the batteries and because of the rotation of the moon, they would never survive the sub-zero temperatures. Their colony location was not the best because there were studies that SpaceX did on the moon that showed that there was more of a chance that an errant asteroid could make a direct impact where they had set up their base.

He read further and found that they had about a thousand people or more who would form their colony. They had done the same thing his group did but there was one difference. Their group was made up of the worst caliber of people known to man. Greedy, undeserving and despicable men and women who thought that their cash would let them live. And that was a problem. He didn't see them making it past the first year no matter where they decided to go. A majority of them would be dead before a year was up.

"Okay detective I've read what you have found. Now I ask you why?"

"Well, I just wanted to show you that after researching what you told me I believe you."

"Do you now. This was never about what you believed detective. You threw me under the bus at the coffee shop when I told you the truth. And then you just took what I told you and trampled it under your shoe like a lit cigarette butt on the sidewalk. So why should I believe you now?"

"Because Rick. I did look into what you told me. When I read everything that other countries were doing just about two years before this event I realized that you were telling me the truth."

"So now you believe me? Tell me, detective, how many other close friends and family have you told?"

She knew that this would be the result. This is why she told no one anything, not even her father.

"I have told no one about anything about what might happen. But some people won't take long to figure out what is going on. They are not as in the dark as you think and they will put two plus two together very soon."

Rick knew that this was going to happen at some time. Nothing this big could be kept quiet for that long but he hoped that whoever was looking into what was going to happen would look towards the closer alternative namely the moon. Then he could escape from the earth without anyone causing a problem for him and Alexis.

"Detective…"

"Rick stop this right now! You know what my name is so please use it. There is no reason for you to treat me the way you are now."

"No reason? Are you serious? Two years ago you told me that we were through that I was the school's funniest kid. That as I see it was the end of what might have been."

"Really? So, what was that you were hiding from me, Rick? The envelope you had under your arm when you came in."

He knew this was inevitable. He pulled the manila envelope from his jacket pocket. He was reluctant to give her what he had already been a part of but he was going to give her the truth no matter what.

"Kate, this is a detailed report that we get every month on what I have been a part of for the past two years. This report, it outlines everything we have done to date on Mars. I know this might come as a shock to you but I have invested a lot of time, money, and effort to guarantee a life past Athos."

She didn't know what to believe because there was never an official name given to the asteroid that was going to strike the earth. But she came into this with an open mind and heart so she took the report from him and started to read. When she was finished almost an hour later, she was astounded by what has been done on Mars in such a short time.

"Rick I don't know what to say. The report I just read blows everything out of the water about what I thought I knew. My question to you is when the Earth does meet its doom what will happen to everything left behind?"

"Kate, there will be nothing left behind. What we're looking at here is something worse than what had killed the dinosaurs. This means the asteroid will probably end up shattering our planet as we know it. Due to its size and mass, it will most likely split Earth in half and then from there who knows what will happen. All I know is that I will not be here to find out what the result is."

"Who can I tell?" Kate asks.

"Kate you cannot tell a soul. My mother knows and Alexis knows and now you know. Aside from the people at SpaceX and the group that I am a part of the information is very limited to what will happen two years from now. So, I must ask you to keep this secret."

She looks at him and can tell that he is being sincere with her. So, she will return the favor and be upfront with him as well. When she looks directly at him, she sees a man who has almost lost everything. He looks rundown, tired, and even a little bit sad. She can't imagine how he will survive with his daughter. They haven't talked about the number of people who are going to be sent to Mars or the structure for law enforcement and enforceable laws. If there was any time her job came might have an advantage for her it was now and this could be her way in.

"I want to be a part of the next meeting. I want to go with you and hear what has been done in the last month on Mars. I want to meet some of these people, Rick."

"That might take jumping through hoops on my end. But if you're serious about going with me I'll see what I can arrange."

Xx

This next meeting for the group would be held in Miami. But there would be a blow that would advance the timeline for the group. Mrs. Meyers had read the report many times and was upset even more every time she finished it. Athos would arrive earlier than they had projected. Instead of having about two years to prepare for Athos that had less than eight months. The problem was once it passed the sun it shed more weight and that made it move almost twice as fast. They need to update their projected impact date for it to be exact. And this caused another problem as well.

SpaceX had three recoverable space crafts in motion almost constantly and two on standby. One was in transit to Mars; one was on the surface of the planet and one was returning towards Earth. The current construction crew on Mars needed to be recalled early for the next supply ship to start shuttling food to the outpost. Preparations were underway for a launch in less than four days cutting the current crew on Mars short by three months. The living areas were almost 73% complete. This would put pressure on the current crew heading to Mars now with the food supply. Not only would they need to complete the living spaces but they had to store and start the procedure for powering up the colony. Then there was the defense system that needed to be installed that alone would take two missions to Mars to get it up and running. It would be a tight timeframe but it should be attainable.

Mrs. Meyers read the new time table off to Hanna and she updated the upcoming report to be issued in Miami based on the new information from the scientists at SpaceX. Mrs. Meyers and Hanna were some of the lucky ones along with seven others of the staff here working on the Mars project. They paid a reasonable reduced fee to escape certain death but at two million dollars it was worth it.

The updated time table was complete and the estimated day of impact with Athos was seven months, twelve days, fifteen hours and forty-two minutes from today. Sometime before Easter the Earth as everyone knows it will be obliterated.

Her desk phone startled her from the thoughts as is rang loudly.

"Mrs. Meyers, how can I be of assistance?"

"Mrs. Myers this is Dr. Troutman from SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. I'm just calling to make sure that you have the updated information on Athos. The new calculations that we come up with give us less than eight months to have Mars prepared for habitat. There is however information that we will be updating as Athos comes closer to the earth. I would say if anything we have maybe six or seven more monthly meetings left before we start shutting people off to Mars."

"Thank you, doctor Troutman. While I have you on the phone, I would like to know how the defense system is coming along. The components were shipped up for the system over two months ago and to my knowledge, nothing has been done in the assembly part of it. Can you give me any insight into what is happening?"

"Mrs. Meyers, Emily, while I am aware of the items that were shipped on the last mission because I have all manifests for everything that was sent to Mars. It is my knowledge that everything is in place for the assembly of the system. What I can do is have the supervisor who is in charge of assembling the defense system contact you and give you an updated status."

"Thank you, Dr. Troutman."

Just as Emily was about to ask him one more question she had an incoming call on another line. Giving her apologies she said goodbye to Dr. Troutman and answered the incoming call.

"This is Mrs. Meyers; how can I help you?"

"Hello, Mrs. Meyers this is Rick Castle with the sixth group."

"Ah yes. Hello Mr. Castle. Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem. But there is a request I'd like to make.

"And what would that request be?"

"There is a person whom I'd like to bring with me to attend the meeting in Miami. Would that be possible?"

"Mr. Castle you know that we frown on outsiders attending our meetings and even more so if they have not paid their fifty-million-dollar entry fee. But I will forward your request to the board in the morning. There will be no guarantees. I might have an answer by late afternoon tomorrow or the latest by Wednesday morning."

"Thank you, Mrs. Meyers. I'll await your call."

"Enjoy the rest of your day Mr. Castle," Emily said as she hung up her phone.

She sat back in her chair and thought about his request. It was not that uncommon for a member to bring in a family member or a close friend. But she still had Mr. Castles intake form when he paid his membership fee from two years ago and nowhere did it say that he had a significant other. Just his mother, his daughter, and himself.

Xx

"Well can I attend?" Kate asked as Rick ended the call.

"I don't know. They need to present my request to the board. They might have an answer by tomorrow, Wednesday the latest."

"Where will the next meeting be?"

"Miami. Every month we move our meeting location to keep things interesting and to keep anyone from finding out where we might be. So far, it's been working. But Kate if they say that you can attend there are certain guidelines you need to follow. You are only able to speak when spoken to. There will be no adding what you think is the best course of action for the group and most of all your opinion means nothing to them. They have all the information they need and anything from you will not be acted on."

"So really all I can do is listen then?"

"Yes. And I'd appreciate it if you did just that."

"Okay, Rick But, I need to voice my displeasure about me keeping quiet. You never know what I might have to add that could benefit this group."

"Kate while that might be true just follow the rules, please. I will set up your air travel to and from Miami through JFK. The meetings are always on the first of the month and we leave on the 28th. I always stay at Hilton hotels no matter where I go so, I will book you a room near mine."

"Thanks, Rick," Kate calls out to him as he opens the door to her apartment and leaves.


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor David Troutman had been the head of the Mars project for SpaceX since its inception twenty-two years ago. He has been the leading authority on the red planet ever since he can remember. He has a doctorate in astrophysics and master's degrees in mathematics, science, and engineering. When people have problems, they came to him first and then whatever the issue was, it was discussed and then acted upon after a reasonable plan was formulated. Space X had recruited him for this job and he more than got the program up and running. He has aides and associates but most of his time is devoted to creating a livable colony on Mars. But after hanging up with Emily just now he wondered if the possibility existed for them to possibly date.

_**Eight years ago…**_

David Troutman had been single for all of his adult life. At forty-three he was getting a little tired of being alone. You could say that his life was entirely devoted to the Mars project and his supporting work and he never had the time to actually date somebody special. He met Emily Myers at a social gathering that was organized by SpaceX and the company she works for. It worked out because at the time she was in San Antonio and so was he. He was conducting experiments on an upgraded solar panel that would produce more power in one day then any known conventional solar panel could in a week. Doctor Troutman was methodical in his day to day personal life. He would get up, take a shower, brush his teeth, shave, prepare breakfast the same way every day while reading the newspaper, and then prepare a travel cup of coffee before heading off to work.

It wasn't until one of his colleagues had mentioned that there was a flyer on the bulletin board in the break room that announced the social event that SpaceX was sponsoring. It was for an inter-company mixer to get to know employees from each company. He debated and decided that why not be would attend. He would have enough time to return home, clean up, and change into something more presentable instead of a lab coat, a pair of slacks, and a white shirt and return to the venue not far from SpaceX's satellite office in San Antonio.

The second he saw her at the event he could tell that she was a lost soul. She had a certain aura around her he could tell that she was keeping something hidden far from everyone's view. This intrigued him and he wanted to know more about why she was the way she was. Not knowing her preference for beverages he picked up two cups and filled them both with some punch. He walks over to her keeping his head up, shoulders squared, and gut pulled in.

"Hello. I'm David Troutman. I brought this for you thinking that you might be thirsty."

It wasn't a pick-up line per se but he neglected to noticed that she had already had something to drink in her hand. Now he felt like a total fool. Maybe he shouldn't be doing this in the first place.

"Tell me, David, what is it that you do?" Emily asks.

"Why I'm a team leader or supervisor if you may for many of SpaceX's projects."

"I see. That would require you to be observant would it not?" Emily says as she holds up her glass of punch giving him a shy smile.

"It would. But I am awkward in these types of social settings. I have never had a lady friend before." He told her honestly.

"You mean to tell me that a man like you, a very handsome man like you has never been with a woman before on a date, a real date?"

"No, I'm sorry to say that I am practically married to my work and as you can tell I don't get out very much."

"It's nice to meet you, David Troutman. My name is Mrs. Emily Myers. I work in San Antonio as a coordinator of sorts. Right now, The company I work finds men and women jobs in order to advance themselves faster than they would on their own."

"That is very interesting. So, you're married."

"David I was married once a long time ago. My husband was a test pilot for Rockwell. They were building a cutting edge thrust vectored fighter aircraft for the Air Force. About five years ago they had designed a very fast and agile newer model called the X-31. On January nineteenth of 2005, he was the test pilot for the very last flight of the X-31 before the jet was to be taken out of service and inspected. As he was attempting to land, he encountered a total engine flameout and was having trouble recovering from a flat spin. He was unable to recover the jet as it went into a steep nosedive. By the time the jet crashed he was never able to pull the ejection lever and get out of the plane. He was alive when he hit the ground at about Mach 1.2."

"Emily I am so sorry. That must have been terrible for you."

"At the time it was I was devastated. I lost the love of my life. But you move forward."

"Yes, you do." He agreed with her.

_**Present day…**_

"Dr. Troutman, I have the latest information for Athos's trajectory, mass, and speed ready for you," Michael tells him.

"All right Michael let's see what you have." Dr. Troutman said.

David looks over the information in front of him after Michael gives him the computer printout. He knew that they were against the wall but the way Athos was traveling he might have to recalculate the initial findings of eight months, if he is correct, he might need to reduce the time of impact even further still.

Xx

Kate was unsure of what to pack. She knew Miami was warm, but there was just that chance that they were might be able to have some fun in the sun so she debated about bringing her two-piece bikini. After debating internally knowing how cold Rick was being towards her, the bikini stayed in her dresser drawer. She did, however, bring a dress just in case they had a formal meeting or dinner to go to while they were there. She had a thought and she picked up the lingerie that she had hidden away in her third dresser drawer. She slipped it into a suitcase just in case. She got the call from Rick about an hour ago telling her that he was going to pick her up in less than a half-hour. For the most part, she had all her packing completed all she had to do was gather her makeup and her bathroom necessities.

Like clockwork, a black Cadillac Escalade SUV pulls up in front of her building. She was in the lobby waiting when it pulled up and was outside quickly. As she reaches the SUV the door opens up Rick steps out and greets her with his book signing smile the kind she hated to see plastered on his face.

"Detective Beckett." He said.

She had to only look into his eyes and find that he was back to his old ways again. It's not that he didn't hate her it's just that he probably can't resolve what she made him do by telling him to leave her two years ago.

"Rick, moving up in the world I see?"

"Beckett it's just the car service. I have no control over what they send when I call for a car. Why don't we get going I'll take your bag and throw it in the back while you get in the car."

Before even voicing her opinion he quickly took her overnight bag and suitcase from her. The driver had raised the back of the SUV's trunk lid and as he was putting in her luggage, she was entering the rear seat. When he returned, he told her to fasten her seatbelt and he did the same.

"John, JFK please and get us there as fast as you possibly can without breaking any laws and I'll give you an extra fifty bucks."

"Yes, Mr. Castle."

As the Escalade pulled away from the sidewalk Kate looked over to Rick and wondered why he needed to get to the airport so quickly. It wasn't until later in the ride that he told her that they needed to be in Miami before three pm.

"We need to go to Little Havana after we land in Miami. I need to talk to a mobster about a possible sale." Rick said.

She just looked at him like he had lost his mind. Didn't he know that she was a cop and he was going to a mobster? She wondered why he would be going to a mobster in the first place.

"Rick, why are we going to see a mobster in Little Havana?"

"I need to see him about a real estate purchase. There are things I need to take care of before Athos hits our planet. He's been after me for quite some time about buying the house in the Hamptons and hopefully if the news doesn't break before I can get to him, I can unload the Hamptons house which would be worthless in about two years anyway. I'm just a little bit short on cash right now and the sale of the Hamptons beach house would put me in a better position than breaking even if I can swing it."

"Wait you'll sell this guy your house even though you know that he won't have time to enjoy it?"

"Detective it's every man for himself. Buyer beware. If he doesn't know that an asteroid is going to crash into our planet then oh well. I'm not going to tell him what is about to happen just to screw myself out of cash."

She never thought Richard Castle could be so callous. But then again, she guessed no one was ever faced with what they would do when the world came to an end.

As promised when the Escalade pulled up to the terminal they were getting off at, Castle pulled out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to the driver. Once they were out of the SUV and walking towards the terminal, she asked what flight they were on.

"Our flight number down to Miami is 1109 on United."

Rick walked through the terminal and headed for the Sky Lounge. Not knowing what to do Kate followed him until they got to the doors to the lounge. He stopped and asked if she was hungry.

"Yes, why? I didn't have time to eat."

"That's good Beckett. Beyond these doors is an experience I bet you've never had."

He pushed open the door and stepped aside to let her walk through. Once she did, she was amazed at what was in front of her. There was everything her heart could desire. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and of course a full-service bar.

"Just go up to whatever station you want, order what you want and meet me back at the table." Rick was pointing over towards a table by a window overlooking the runways of the airport.

"Okay," Kate said.

She ended up going with breakfast and walked over to an omelet station that had a man with a chef's hat on, the big tall kind with a fluffy top. She ordered a ham and cheese and onion omelet and in no time, it was put in front of her steaming hot. On the way back she saw a coffee station and ordered her usual coffee. By the time she got back to the table, she could see that Rick had already made it to the bar. He had his usual Scotch but it was more than two fingers. Deciding not to say anything she just started eating her omelet looking over at him every once in a while.

Kate finished eating and she could see that Rick was long finished with his drink. Just then the announcement for their flight was called and they cleaned up their trash and went to the gate. She was a little surprised when he never stopped and walked right up to the ticket agent who scanned both of their tickets. He turned to look if she was still behind him and then he proceeded down the jetway and into first-class when he saw her following him.

The flight to Miami was a little over two and a half hours. When they left the plane there was a driver holding up a sign with Rick's name on it when they came off the jetway. Rick's extended his hand to shake the driver's hand and then they were heading towards the car.

"Mr. Castle, is there anywhere you would like to go to before I take you to the hotel?" their driver asked.

"Actually there is. Can you take us to 6491 SW 31st Avenue? Carlos Delgado's mansion is at the end of the street. We won't be that long an hour at the most."

"Yes, sir." The driver replied. He knew of the mobster and didn't want to disappoint his passenger or the mobster. So, they left the airport quickly.

When they pulled up to Carlos's house Rick turned to Kate and told her to stay put because what he had to do, he didn't want her a part of. It was bad enough that she was here with him in the car he didn't want to jeopardize her career for being associated with a monster.

He rang the doorbell and a little girl answered.

"Hi. Is your daddy home?" Rick asked.

The door swung open a little wider and Carlos was standing right behind his daughter.

"Mr. Castle. So, am I to hope that you have finally come to your senses and you are offering me your Hamptons house for sale?" He asked.

"I am. May I come in?"

Carlos made a sweeping motion with his arm and Rick entered the mobster's house. Kate watched as he walked inside and she hoped that he knew what he was doing.

"Carlos I have decided to take your offer if 38.7 million for my beach home. It's move-in ready and I have moved everything out so you can get started as soon as you like."

Carlos just looked at Rick with a wary look on his face and wondered why he was letting his house go for the price that he originally asked for. As far as he remembered the negotiations that were in place the last time they talked said he was asking for 45 million even.

"Rick, what's going on? Why the drop in price? Not that I'm complaining but there's got to be a reason why you're dropping your price." Carlos demanded.

He had forgotten about the 45 million he got Carlos up to in the asking price. But now he has to figure out a way to explain why he's asking almost 6.3 million dollars less.

"I did some online research and found that most of the houses in my neighborhood are going for less than my original offer of 38.7 million. I'm not out to take advantage of your Carlos that would be the wrong thing to do and since I had decided to sell it to you, I'm going to ask for what I originally asked for and not the 45 million. Do we have a deal?" Rick asked.

"When do you need to know by Rick?" Carlos countered.

"I'll be in Miami for the next three to four days depending on my workload. If you need me just call me on my cell phone and I can be here in less than half-hour but I am leaving by Tuesday regardless."

They both shook hands on the tentative agreement and Rick made his way out of the house and into the car. Rick asked the driver to take them to the hotel.

As they pulled up to the Conrad Miami, she looked at the sheer extravagance of the property. It was beyond beautiful. They were escorted to the front desk and were checked in swiftly.

"Beckett, your room is on the floor below mine. I'll get your key and we can relax until dinner."

The clerk behind the counter had some bad news for Rick as he overheard that Miss Beckett's room was the floor below his.

"Mr. Castle I have some news for you and I don't think you'll be that pleased."

Rick could only hang his head until he heard this news.

"What is this news?"

"It seems that the floor below you has been rented out by be the Associated Press. They have any awards ceremony off the hotel property on Saturday. They rented out the entire 35th floor. And with the dental convention in town, every other room is booked solid until the middle of next week."

"What else is new."

"Mr. Castle I can upgrade you to the two-bedroom condo on the 36th floor. Each suite has a king-size bed that is separated by a living room complete with its own privacy doors. We will even have room service free of charge for breakfast for you during your entire stay with us."

"That sounds fair. I'll take it."

"Very good sir. I'll just need your credit card to complete the first booking. The upgrade is strictly complementary and you won't be charged for it."

"Then use my AMEX black card you should have on file."

"Very good sir. The bell boy will show you to your room. Please enjoy your stay here at Conrad Miami."

The clerk snapped his fingers and a bell boy was there instantly. He took their bags and started walking towards the elevator. Rick turned and followed the bellhop and Kate walk slowly behind him wondering what was going to happen next. She knew she would have her own room but they did really need to sit down and talk before they went to this meeting on Sunday.

"Listen Beckett I'm kinda beat. I'm going to take a nap and then I'm going to take a shower and get ready for dinner. There is a lounge downstairs I'll meet you there at five pm for dinner. For now, I'll take the room on the right you could have the one across the living room. I suggest that you get some rest before we eat."

"Alright, Rick. I'll meet you for dinner, and during dinner, we will have a heart to heart so don't think about backing out."

"See you later then."

He shut the door to his room and laid down on the bed. Within minutes he was out cold.

Kate just looked around the living room and sat down near the picture window and just simply looked out onto Biscayne Bay thinking how she should start the talk she needed to have with Rick.


	7. Chapter 7

Kate had sat there watching the waves roll into the shore from the picture window of the condo on the 36th floor for just about two hours. She thinks she has a better handle on what she wanted to talk to Rick about. But now she can only hope to convince him that she is sincere in what she will tell him. She loves him. Not loved him because she became attracted to him after their first case together.

She rehearsed what she was going to say to him while he slept in the next room and hoped that he would understand where she was coming from. She knew that in the two years that she had foolishly told him to leave her alone that she had made the biggest mistake of her life. During the first two and a half years that they were together with him as her partner, she noticed that he had an understanding of what was going on with each case they worked. It wasn't as if he had a sixth sense, but he had a perceptiveness about how the family felt when they were told the news of when their loved one had passed away.

He had compassion and that was something that the job did not teach you about and she thinks that this is what drove her to him hoping that they might be more in the time to come. But she had to reject him because of her damn walls. Well, this trip to Miami would be a turning point for both of them. She would explain (if he would listen) how she needs him in her life no matter what happened in the future. She knows that her time is short and come what may, two years is not enough time for her to ask for his forgiveness before she perishes. She turns to look at his bedroom door when she hears the water start running in his ensuite bathroom. She rises from the chair and leaves the calming view of the ocean through the picture window to get herself ready for dinner.

She decides on the red dress that wraps over her right shoulder. It comes down to her mid-thigh and she should be okay with anywhere they decide to eat either fancy or every day. As she continues her preparations, she dabs on a small amount of perfume on strategic areas of her body. She has hopes but she's not taking anything for granted.

Xx

He woke refreshed but with a cluttered mind. When he did wake up fully his mind immediately went to Kate. He spent the next ten minutes just laying in bed wondering what she wanted to talk about. He knew what she wanted to talk about but he just has to get in the right frame of mind to hear her out. Knowing that she's in the next room he gets out of bed strips down to nothing and starts the water for his shower. As the water cascades over his body, he has an idea. He needs to make some risky moves and hope they will be able to make him what he needs in a short amount of time. Rick knows that time is short but if what he wants to do plays out the way he wants, he might have more to bring to the table.

Kate sits on the sofa waiting for Rick to finish getting ready. It's a Saturday night and she is dressed to kill. She knows that he will be too. Just then the door opens and out walks Rick dressed in a black Armani suit. He looks good in it and he wears it well. Debonair comes to mind when she catches the aftershave he is wearing. Whatever it is it makes her feel like a teenager waiting for her high school prom date.

"Detective are you ready to have your taste buds assaulted?"

"Sure. Where are we going?"

"Novikov It's a great place to eat. Seafood mostly but there are alternatives. Are you allergic to seafood detective?"

"Rick, it's Kate, my name is Kate. I've told you this before. And no, I'm not allergic to seafood."

After being chastised by her he knew that he was being too hard on her by not using her first name.

"Okay, Kate. Are you ready to go?" Rick offered his arm to her.

"Novikov? Do you know what that means in Russian Rick?" She asks him.

"No, what?"

"It means 'let's eat'. So this should be interesting."

It was a small win for her, him calling her by her first name and not Beckett or detective and now all she had to do was concentrate on the conversation she was going to have in the next thirty minutes.

"I am. Is the car service coming to pick us up?"

"No. this restaurant is not that far from here. I'd thought we'd walk since it's a nice night."

"Alright. Let's go then."

Rick took the lead and opened the door to the room. Once out in the hallway, he made sure that the door was secured. It was and he offered Kate his arm always being the gentleman that he is they turned towards the elevator for the short ride to the lobby.

Xx

"Good evening. Welcome to Novikov. Can I help you?" The maître d' asked.

"Castle. I have a reservation for two at six-thirty."

"Yes, sir. Right, this way."

They were seated at a table that had a good view of the beach. Kate was lost in its serenity immediately. Rick being the gentleman once again had seated Kate and inched her chair close to the table. Taking his seat, he wondered when she would start this conversation she wanted to have. He hadn't needed to wait that long.

"Rick we need to have an adult conversation."

"Well we are adults, aren't we?" He said with a smirk and going for humor.

"Rick what I need to tell you is serious so no joking around, please."

"Okay, Kate. Sorry."

"Listen I need to explain a couple of issues that went on in my life when you were shadowing me and even before that."

Rick gave her an understanding look and she continued.

"When my mom was murdered I decided that since her love was taken away from me, I thought that closing off my heart to anyone else who wanted to try to get in was the one way to protect myself from any more heartbreak. So, I hardened my heart toward any type of romantic situations. Then when my dad decided that he would soothe his pain by drinking just about anything with a high alcohol content, I once again put my heart further out of reach. If I lost his love what was the use of going on?"

"Kate I never knew you thought that. I can't even imag…"

"Rick I know you want to say your peace too but there's more I need to tell you." She looked to him and as she was going to start talking again the server stepped up to their table. Kate had decided to take the reins so to speak. Without telling Rick she ordered dinner for the both of them.

"We'll start with a house salad both with ranch dressing, then the Prime Rib end cut. He'll take his medium and I'll have mine medium-well. Can you add a skewer of grilled shrimp to each steak, please? Mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans will round out the vegetables we want and we'd also like to have dinner rolls to accompany our meal before our main entrée arrives. We' would also like to have a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz. On second thought please bring us two bottles." Kate asked.

Kate knew they would need the extra bottle and when she looked to Rick, he looked concerned and afraid at the same time. She hesitantly extended her hand to take his and give him a comforting squeeze. But when she tried to remove it, he didn't let go. Their server left and brought back the dinner rolls and they started eating them. Kate wanted to keep the momentum moving forward and started to talk to Rick again.

"After I had to take out Coonan, I completely lost it. All I could think about was if he had pulled the trigger and shot you, I'd never get to tell you what I wanted to tell you. After the shooting, I had to go to a psychiatrist because it was mandatory after a shooting and also, I was in a dark place after killing him. So dark that I thought about ending my own life because of my failures. Rick, I failed my mom. I let the only lead I had die and I realized that when I killed Coonan, I had my closure because I knew that he killed my mom. But I still wanted the man who was pulling his strings. I wanted the man who gave the order to have her killed. It has taken me a while to understand that I might not ever get that satisfaction. Dr. Burke has shown me that there are alternatives to follow that do not take me to that dark place ever again. And so far, it's worked. A lot has happened in my life since I sent you away Rick and I just want to explain."

"Kate, I appreciate your honesty and what I don't know about your life is something that we should explore more thoroughly. If I had known that you killing Coonan would put you in a dark place as you put it, all you had to do was pick up the phone and I would have helped you through it. We were partners. I'm not saying that I'm a certified therapist but just having a person to talk to might have been all you needed to get through what it is you were going through then."

"Rick you are not understanding me. I'm a damaged person and I can't bring you down with me because that would be wrong. I have PTSD flashbacks from when I was shot by a sniper. I'm so damaged. But I can tell you this, you were the only man who was able to break down my defenses that I had placed around my heart. All I wanted to do was tell you that I love you. But I know that ship has sailed years ago as far as how you feel towards me now."

"How do you know how I feel now? Kate, it has been two years since we've seen each other last. I for one know that you have been doing all you can to catch your mother's killer. I'm not naïve but I do know that you need closure. And with what I just told you about Athos, I'm not sure that you're going to be able to get that closure in the next two years. Kate, you are not the only "damaged" person sitting at this table. I never had a father to look up to. Do you know how much that hurts emotionally? I never could count on someone who was never there. You had both parents until your mom was taken from you. I never had that. My mother had to fill both roles and she did a damn fine job of it.

Kate had looked down at the table for a split second and noticed that the server had brought their meals out. She looked up to Rick wondered when this happened because as far as she knows they were only talking for about ten minutes and she never noticed the server come out with the food.

"Kate why don't we eat now while it's still hot and we can talk after we finish and before dessert. But I've got to tell you, Kate, I think that you should order my food all the time because this meal looks delicious. Rick picks up his steak knife and fork and cuts into his still sizzling steak.

They each sat at the table and ate in silence because the food was that good. It didn't take long for them to finish their meal and when they were done Kate was the one who topped off Ricks wine glass. He looked into her eyes and knew he had to address what they were talking about before dinner earlier. So, he did.

"Kate, as I told you earlier who are you to tell me who or what I can or cannot have? In my eyes, you're not damaged one bit, you are extraordinary. You've been through hell and back and if this is how you look now, I applaud you. I'm sure that you have gone to some dark places I think that everyone has at one time or another in their life and as I said before all you needed to do is pick up the phone and I would have been there for you."

"You are okay with me having PTSD? I've had some really bad episodes and I don't want to hurt you."

"Kate, have you been violent towards anyone when you have these episodes?"

"No. I'm usually alone in my apartment. But I'm not sure what will happen if there is someone in the room with me. Doctor Burke is working with me on strategies and exercises to get me through these episodes without an issue. And I can tell you that it's working very well. I think the last one I had was about two and a half months ago. And the only damage I did was to myself because I fell on a glass that had broken on the floor when I fell on it."

They ordered dessert and when that was finished Rick handed his credit card to the server to settle the bill. On the way out of the eatery, Rick wanted to make one thing clear but was unsure about his decision.

"Then Kate, it's settled. We can be friends then. I hope that is okay with you." He told her as they walked back to the hotel.

They walked away from the restaurant she was not happy with the way he said that they could be friends. To her, his statement seemed final and this is not what she wanted. On the way back to the hotel she had initiated the second phase of her plan. Kate was not one to use her body for any type of gain but in this case, she wanted to be more than his friend. She wanted to be his lover possibly his wife if he agreed. Once they reached the condo Kate had seductively moved towards Rick and gently started pushing him towards his bedroom door.

At first, he was taken aback and wondered what she was doing so close to him. It wasn't until she started kissing him on the lips that he realized what was going to happen. Don't get him wrong he is a man and he was single as was she but he did not know what would happen if they started something tonight. In his mind he never wants it to end with her. But on the other hand, he had not seen her in two years and she was a different person now. Maybe something could be worked out between them where they could be a couple and he really, really hoped that this was the case. For now, he would let her work her magic and it was something to he was looking forward to.

"Rick, I want to make love to you. I promise you that this is not a one-time thing for me but I want you to know that I suck at relationships. I always find a way to screw them up but I hope that you are different. And I want you to understand that this is not a ploy to get you to fall in love with me before Athos hits, this is not my intention. I'd be happy to be with you until you leave for Mars if that's the case. I'm not looking for anything but you Rick. Make love to me as if I was your lover, not your best friend."

Rick just looked at her and believed what she told him. She just wanted him. He took her hand and led her into his room. The barriers around her heart had just about crumbled apart when he did. They walked into his bedroom and dropped their clothes to the floor as they made their way to his bed. By the time they reached his bed she was naked as the day she was brought into this world and so was he. He laid her down in the middle of the bed and he took his time making her feel like a woman so many times over and over.

He thrust into her gently at first so she could adjust to his length and girth. By the time he had finished he fit perfectly into her and then he picked up his speed and depth. She, in turn, wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him into her closer. It was sloppy and glorious at the same time and she shattered into one of the best orgasms she had ever had in her life. He hit her G spot without even trying, but he wasn't finished. After he shattered inside her he pulled out of her he gave her yet another orgasm with his mouth. God, she loved the appendages that God had given this man. Her hands helped guide his head where it would do the most good and then she closed her eyes tightly and came for the last time. She was seeing a bright white light on the insides of her eyelids and then she passed out in his arms.

Xx

When they woke up the next morning Kate had never been one to sleep in late nor did she cuddle with any man after they had been intimate. But she found herself nestled into Rick's side and she loved it.

"Well, I guess this means that we are more than friends."

Kate looked over at Rick and she melted into him even more. She draped her arm across his very muscular chest and sighed.

"Yes, Rick I think that we can honestly say that the friend option is off the table now. I'll have you know that I brought a lingerie set down with me in light blue. I was going to use it to seduce you. It's a shame that you didn't get to take it off me." Kate intertwined her leg around his thigh and tried to seek some friction to soothe her itch.

"Kate I am sure that there will be time for you to wear a teddy for me in our future. But for now, let's take this into the shower and then I'll order our breakfast. Don't forget that we have the meeting at noon downstairs and we need to be there on time." Rick said.

Kate liked the idea of continuing their sexual escapades in the shower. Her core quickly came to a stop against his leg and she hopped out of bed to beat him to the shower.

Round four was wet and very satisfying. They took turns washing each other and that led to exploring their carnal desires even more than before. When they were finished, they ordered room service and it was just the basic fare. Eggs, bacon, OJ, and of course coffee. Soon they were dressed and heading out to the conference room off the lobby of the hotel. When they arrived, they found out that most of the people who were in the group were already there. They were talking amongst themselves and what they were hearing wasn't something that had happened in the past. They seemed almost frightened. It was then when Rick looks up to the podium and sees a large screen dropped down in place behind where the speaker would be. This was new. It was 11:45 and Rick found his spot and had himself and Kate sit down to wait for the meeting to start.

Xx

Two things happened relatively quickly. Mrs. Meyers had come out from behind the curtain and stood at the podium. It wasn't long after she reached the podium that a man who looked to be in his mid to late '50s stepped up behind her and just stood there. Anyone watching the center stage could tell that she was not wasting any time being courteous.

"Good afternoon. I'm sorry to say that we have a lot of ground to cover in a very short time. Today's meeting will last anywhere from 6 to 8 hours and we will have a dinner service served sharply at five pm. We have updated information on Athos and from what I've read it's not good. Standing behind me is Dr. David Troutman. For the next couple of hours, he will be explaining to you what is going to happen, where we will go from here, and what needs to be done in the time that we have left. If there are no questions, I turn the floor over to doctor Troutman." Mrs. Meyers vacated the podium when no one spoke up and Dr. Troutman stepped up taking her place.

"Good afternoon my name is Dr. Troutman. I am the lead scientist on the Mars project for SpaceX. As Mrs. Meyers has already told you we have a lot of information to cover today." He said as he took hold of the podium.

"Rick, what's going on?" Kate asked.

"Kate, this is all new to me. Usually, it's only a rep from SpaceX and then all they do is give us an update on the progress they are making on the habitat. To my knowledge, this is the last structure they are working on. Most everything else is finished."

Kate just watched as the doctor arranged his notes at the podium. When he was finished, he looked up with a grim look on his face.

"I want to start with why I am here. As I told you I am a scientist for SpaceX. I have run the Mars project since its inception. We have uncovered information on Athos that is going to move our timetable up significantly for leaving for the colony. Athos seems to have a mind of its own and it's moving faster than we had originally predicted. Once it passed our sun it lost weight so to say. The path Athos took brought it about 1.3 million miles from the sun. The sun had melted any ice and burned away any loose debris and combustible gasses on the surface and down to the core of Athos. This made the asteroid more streamlined like a cannonball. Since we have classified Athos as a class "M" asteroid the nickel and iron that composes it makes it impossible to pinpoint an exact impact area on Earth. Then when it passed Mercury, that planets gravitational pull should have slowed it down but it had the opposite effect. It acted like a slingshot and propelled it forward faster than we thought. Since Athos is now essentially a bullet hurtling through space at more than 30,000 miles per hour it will impact with Earth sooner than we predicted. The actual date we have calculated is April 22nd, 2015. Now, this is only an estimate and we will be giving you a more exact date when we have the last meeting before we activate the first group to be shuttled to Mars."

"Rick this can't be right!" Kate whispered to him. When she turned to her left, she could see that he was as pale as a ghost.

Just as he was about to discuss what was just revealed with Kate, his phone chimed with a new text message. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and read the message. A very bright smile reached his eyes as he replied and pocketed his phone. Kate was curious so she asked him what was going on.

"Rick, why are you so happy?"

"Kate later alright? It's good news I promise."

"Now I will accept questions and comments." Dr. Troutman told the group.

The second he did hands shot up all over the auditorium. He picked one person and she asked her question.

"I remember reading in last month's report that the habitat on Mars is almost complete. Will SpaceX be able to complete it by the time we start our trip to the colony?"

"They will. I have asked the last crew that recently returned how much they had left to complete. They told me that the living area was 94 percent complete. As we speak the crew that is there now will be finishing up by the end of next month. They will test everything from life support to our power needs in the time to come before we arrive."

Another person was called on.

"The defense system was on the way to Mars two months ago. Will that be done in time to protect us?"

"That I'm afraid is still a work in progress. The system is there you are right on that fact. The technicians who are assembling it will have it completed by the end of next year."

Troutman selected another person.

"What will that protect us against?"

"The defense system is part watchdog and part Pitbull. It will warn us of an impending attack from any other civilization. If needed it will defend us against any attack that might be launched against us. It also can detect what is going to take out the Earth."

And yet another question.

"Were we still able to transport our food for the next two years to Mars? And will the agricultural team start terraforming the soil on Mars to support out food needs?"

"Both good questions. The first answer is yes, they have. We have a food supply to last us for just over two years. The second answer to your question is yes also. The teams that have taken back soil from Mars and conducted experiments to grow food in a controlled environment equivalent to what is on Mars. What they have come up with is something similar to what we have here on Earth. The soil from Mars had to be enhanced so to speak. They had to add larger amounts of fertilizer and nutrients to be able to grow what we have here on Earth. As of right now, the AG team can grow corn, wheat, tomatoes, and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables on Mars."

Xx

Kate kept her word and never said one thing too slow down the meeting or offer her opinion on what should be done once people were on Mars. She kept looking over at Rick wondering what that text message was and when he would tell her about it. Doctor Troutman had fielded more questions then they thought he would answer. Most of the questions were on the technical side of living on Mars and he answered those earnestly. But when it came down to where people were going to stay in the habitat and what would happen if God forbid someone broke the law, he was deferring his answers to the proper people to answer those questions.

Xx

By the time the meeting was over Rick was exhausted and Kate didn't look any better. This had never been the norm when he had attended previous meetings. The fact that Athos was going to impact with earth sooner than he had thought would put a strain on what he could accomplish in the short time that he had left.

They walked hand in hand back to the hotel after checking for any messages with the front desk they made their way to the elevator and up to the condo. The first thing that Rick had done was walk over to the minibar take out four small plastic bottles of Scotch, added some ice into the glasses and pour two bottles of each into the tumblers. He then walked out onto the balcony and Kate followed. He handed her a glass and they toasted all they have learned tonight.

"Rick, what was that text message that you got earlier?"

"Kate, Carlos had decided to up the offer for my beach house in the Hamptons. He had turned down the 38.7 million I asked for because he thought I was shortchanging myself and he raised the price to forty million. He had done some research into the area and found out that forty million was a better price for my home. I'm not one to argue over an increase."

"He closed the deal?" Kate wondered.

"Not yet Kate but I would like you to come with me tomorrow to his place. We can close the deal then and I will turn over the deed when he gives me the cash."

"Okay, Rick. What time?"

"Noon. This will be the last thing we do before we fly back home. We have a late flight leaving at 5:30 tomorrow night. I would like to have everything taken care of by two pm at the latest so we can get back to the hotel pack and leave. Are you okay with being seen at a mobster's residence?"

"Rick it's not as if it's going to matter anymore. According to doctor Troutman, we only have about six and a half months left before the world goes to hell in a handbasket."

"Good. By the time we get back to New York, I should have all my properties and holdings sold. That will give me more than enough to do what I need to do. When we get back home, I will tell you what it is I have in mind."

She could only look at him as he pulled her back towards his bedroom. She knew he was doing something behind her back but in time he would tell her what it was. Until then she would wait until he told her what he was doing.


	8. Chapter 8

_**It has been three months since the meeting in Miami…**_

It happened without warning and no one could predict what was going to happen next now that Athos had been discovered. Oddly enough it wasn't the United States who had any control over finding out about Athos. The one observatory the government had no control over had never found out that Athos was even coming towards them until word of mouth gave them the idea to look to the skies. No, that distinct honor was given to an Observatory in India. The Vainu Bappu Observatory owned and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics is located at Kavalur in the Javadi Hills, near Vaniyambadi in the Tirupattur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. At first, they could not believe what they were seeing and kept it quiet until they could confirm what they found.

That was a mistake and they would pay dearly for due to their lack of judgment. There is no way anything of this magnitude could be kept under wraps. Anyone who was in the observatory that day knew what was going to happen. It's like the old L'Oréal ad on TV in the 80'S for Faberge organics shampoo with Heather Locklear. One person told two friends, and they told two friends and so on, and so on, and so on. This is what happened in India. In a short time of forty-eight hours news of Athos had spread worldwide.

The news spread worse than a wildfire. And every government on the face of the planet had trouble trying to justify their decisions by not too tell its citizens about Athos and they were facing riots and upheaval because of it. Most of the countries' governments had known about Athos long before anyone else found out about it. This was one secret that was kept very well. Most of the European countries had taken a wait and see attitude with the people of their countries. Most of the third world countries had gone one step further and reinforced their top government buildings with guards loyal to the government and shot anyone on sight who had advanced more than fifty feet from those buildings. The number of people who were killed in those countries sadly was better off dying that way rather than deal with Athos. Athos will be a destructive event for Earth.

Xx

She's never been so disgusted with what people are capable of when they are faced with a certain lack of life expectancy. It has brought out the worst in humanity. She has been on this job for the last sixteen years and thought she had seen it all. She was wrong. Her city along with other cities in the country had imposed a dusk to dawn curfew. The governor of New York had activated the New York National Guard. The Guard had problems right from the start. No one would listen to the orders that they were given by the Guard and usually ended up being attacked with Molotov cocktail and small arms fire inside the city limits. Upstate people were at least listening to what they were being told not that obeyed their orders.

The worst incident came two days ago. Even with the curfew that was imposed people still violated said curfew. The firefighters of FDNY Engine Co. 73 & Ladder Co. 42 were responding to a fire call. Once they exited out of the firehouse irate men and women attacked the ladder truck with bottle firebombs. Three firefighters inside the enclosed cab died of third-degree burns over 65% of their bodies. It turns out now that the NYPD will investigate potential fire calls before sending out fire equipment.

But people were still murdering each other more so now that Athos will hit sometime in the next two and a half months. Just now dispatch called up to homicide and told them that there was another case for them to investigate. She went to Captain Gates to inform her of their newest case.

"Detective stand by one minute." Gates said as she took down information with who she was on the phone with while holding her hand over the mouthpiece.

"Yes, sir I will let the command know. Thank you, sir." Gates hung up the phone and sat down. She looked up at her lead detective and just didn't know where to start.

"Detective, it seems that the commissioner and his staff at One PP do not want us to respond to anything at the present time. It seems that about two hours ago two teams of detectives were responding to two separate calls. It turned out to be an ambush and all four of those detectives are now dead. Until further notice, we are not responding to any calls whatsoever."

Kate could only nod in response. She needed to talk to Rick and see how he was doing with everything that was going on since the world now knew about Athos.

Their relationship was still more defined as a friend's only relationship but they were having sex at least every night. She loved the way he could make her feel and it's something she never wanted to lose because she loves him. She had noticed he was being more reserved than usual. She had also noticed that he had been upset more than once and hid it well but she knew and wondered why.

Xx

Rick was looking for a place to stay because he had finally sold the loft and not a minute too soon. The money from the sale just hit his account twelve hours before Athos was discovered. Now that he had liquidated all of his real estate holdings, he had just over one hundred sixty-five million dollars. He knew he was overstepping but, in this case, he thought it was worth it. A majority of the funds will go to securing seats on the third shuttle to Mars. He, Alexis, and Kate will be part of group six. Since his mother is going to be living up life until the world ends Rick gave his mother's seat on the shuttle to Kate. He worked hard to sell everything in time and had enough to pay for a seat for Kate's father, Esposito, Ryan, and his wife and Lanie.

Everything else like his Ferrari, his vintage 1964 Porsche 356C, and his Harley Davidson Road King were practically given away for a song. Now all he has are his clothes, some spending cash, and a bottle of Dom Pérignon to celebrate with when they reach Mars. There is a weight limit of one hundred pounds per passenger. He needs to keep his personal items light. He still needs to let Kate in on the fact that she, her father and her best friend and her boys will be able to live on. He will invite everyone over to the new apartment he has and tell them then.

Xx

Since they were grounded at the 12th precinct all they could do was watch what was going on in the world on television. And it wasn't pretty. People were wearing sidearms like it was the Wild Wild West. When they wanted something that someone else had all they did was take out their weapon and shoot them dead for it. Law enforcement was now useless. All of the emergency services were not responding to any calls for help anywhere in the city. Looking out the window of the homicide floor Kate watched as a large part of the financial district was burning to the ground. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, New York Stock Exchange, and other financial buildings would never make it through the night. It was then when her captain walked up to her and stood next to her and took in the city as it burned.

"Kate, there's no sense for you to be here anymore. The commissioner has suspended our responses and there is nothing left for you to do. Clear out your personal effects and head home. Maybe see your dad before this gets too bad out there."

"It's only going to get worse."

"You're right. People lose all sense of right and wrong when they are faced with a situation that they have no control over."

"Do you have any family here Victoria?" Kate asked.

"My parents passed away about three years ago in a car accident on the L.I. E. My sister is the U.S. District Attorney for the southern district of New York and we haven't spoken to each other in over five years."

"I'm sorry. Good luck Victoria." Kate says as she turns and leaves.

"Oh one more thing Kate, you can tell Ryan and Esposito to pack up their stuff too. Consider the next month off your severance pay. Good luck." Gates moves back to her office, sits down in her chair at her desk and just looks out the window.

Having been at this precinct for over eleven years it is sad that she doesn't that have much to pack away. She has her parading elephants that were with her mother, her stick figure, jelly beans and gummies, a paperclip chain that Castle made when they worked the nanny case and not much else. Everything else in her desk belonged to the NYPD. She was finished packing up her personal effects in less than ten minutes. She throws her coat on and from the bottom drawer takes her backup piece puts in her ankle holster. She pulls her purse out of the middle drawer and puts it over her shoulder. She stops by Ryan's side and tells him,

"Kevin, we are officially out of a job. Pack up your stuff and go home."

"Javi is out picking up a report from our last case. Should I tell him to do the same?"

"No. You know what? I'll stay and tell him when he comes back."

Ryan started to open all the drawers if his desk and became frustrated with the amount of stuff he had there. He shut all the drawers and looked up to Kate.

"You know it makes no sense to bring all this shit home with me since I will never use any of it ever again." Kevin says dejectedly.

Kate was going to say something to him but then she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulls it out and sees Rick's picture on the screen.

"Hi, Rick! Kate says.

"Hi, Kate."

"Why the call?"

"Can't I call you?"

"Sure you can. But you usually have a reason."

"Well, you're right about that. I have some news I need to share with you, Laine, and the boys. I have a meeting to go to before we meet but I would like to invite them for dinner at our new place."

"Our new place? Since when. You have the loft, don't you?"

"As of this afternoon no _we_ do not. I will text you the address where I need you to meet me at by six pm. I'm catering dinner so they'll be no mess no fuss just bring your friends."

As she hung up the phone a text message came in. All that was on it was this address: 247 E 28th St, Apartment 14 D, New York, NY 10016. She knows this is on the Eastside but she couldn't understand why he would want to meet her there. But she hopes she will find out soon.

Xx

Rick had one more call to make. He had never spoken with the man prior to today and didn't know where to get his phone number from. He knew that he had a law firm down in Tribeca or was it Uptown he can't be sure but there can't be that many Jim Beckett's practicing law in Manhattan. He does a quick Google search and finds that his firm is indeed in Tribeca. He dials the number and on the second ring he answers.

"Jim Beckett, Esquire."

"Mr. Beckett, you don't know me but we have a common interest. Your daughter Kate."

"Katie? Who is this?"

"My name is Richard Castle. I worked…"

"With my daughter a couple of years ago." Jim finishes for him. "Yes, I remember her talking about you."

"All good I hope," Rick suggests.

"I plead the fifth. What can I do for you, Mr. Castle?" Jim got right down to business.

"I'd like to invite you over to my place for dinner tonight. Kate will be there as will some of her friends. I have some things I need to talk to you about. Can you make it say around six tonight?"

"I'm a very busy man Mr. Castle. But if Katie will be there then I guess I will see you at six tonight."

"Great. The address is 247 E 28th St, Apartment 14 D." After hanging up he realized that those were the most terrifying three minutes of his life. But at least her father will be there tonight. Now all he needs to do is call the caterer. He decides on Italian. He has the order being delivered at five forty-five promptly. This will give him enough time to set everything up before it arrives. Everything is done and his phone alerts him to an incoming text.

_"Dad, I was __dismissed__ by my civics professor earlier than expected__. He told us that with everything that is going on that there will be no more classes. He will not be here next __week __as most of the other teachers won't be either. I can say without a doubt that my higher education is now over. I'm heading over to our new place. See you there."_

_"Baby bird, I am so sorry. But at least you have completed almost two years before it ended."_

_"I guess so. So what are we doing tonight?"_

_"I have a meeting and then I am having people from the 12__th__ come over."_

_"Dad, just say her name, I'm a big girl now."_

_"Okay yes It's Kate along with her dad and Ryan and Esposito."_

_"Do you need any help?"_

_"No I have it all covered. See you later?"_

_"Sure dad. See you later."_

Rick didn't want to put any pressure on his little girl so he let her enjoy the time she had left without doing anything for him in any way, shape, or form. He knew she would be going through some tough times in the near future.

Xx

The apartment is modest and it can hold up to ten people comfortably. How times have changed. But he makes the best of the smaller space has a very large dining room table set up for eight people. He has the catered food in the kitchen on the countertop and all everyone will have to do is serve themselves. He doesn't wait long for the first knock on the door. Looking through the peep hole he sees Lanie at the door. He opens it and allows her to enter.

"Hi Castle." Lanie says.

"Hi Lanie. Since you're the first one here why don't you have a seat at the couch While we wait for everyone else to arrive."

She just gives him a nod and goes to sit down.

"Wine?" Castle asks.

"That would be great Rick. Thanks." She replied.

Within a half-hour, the rest of the 12th, her father, and his daughter are all in the apartment. Now they can start.

"I've called all of you here today to give you some news. I personally think its good news but that would be up to you if you think it is or is not. I have known about Athos over two and half years now and I have made plans to escape long before everyone else knew about it."

All eyes were riveted on him and no one said a word. His daughter and Kate knew this part but no one else did.

"I have been a part of the group who had some say in what was done on Mars. Yes Mars. Right now, there is a colony being built on Mars. It's just about done. I had originally had my daughter and my mother accompany me to Mars. But now my mother is getting on in years and she decided to bow out gracefully. She will be spending her remaining days here on earth living it up on my dime. Now that left me with a dilemma of sorts. Each ticket to get to Mars and live at the colony cost fifty million. What I have decided to do is ask Kate she would accompany me to Mars."

Rick looks to her expectantly.

"YES! I will come with you."

"I was hoping that you'd say yes."

"Now I have since liquidated all my real estate holdings and with the proceeds from the sales of my Hamptons house and the loft and some of my toys I was able to raise over $165 million. And because I was a member of group six with SpaceX, I was able to secure passage for everyone here at a discounted rate. So, the big question is do you Mr. Beckett, Lanie, Kevin and Jenny, and Javi want to see the red planet up close and personal?"

Everyone just sat there with their jaws sitting on the table. Some still had their food in the process of entering their mouths when he dropped this bomb on them. They just sat there frozen like statues. Over a minute had passed and they were still just sitting there motionless.

"Guys? Are you okay?" Rick asked.

Jim was the first to say anything.

"Katie did you know anything about this?"

"No dad. I am just as surprised as you are."

"Mr. Castle this is a very generous offer. But I think I will need some time to think this over."

"Dad? What's there to think over? Your coming right?" His daughter asked.

"Katie your mother is here. I'm not so sure that I could leave her. She was everything to me."

"I am going to have to turn you down Rick. My mother is sick and I promised her that I would stay and take care of her until the end. But I really appreciate you giving me the opportunity to survive but family comes first."

To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. If he thought anyone would jump at the chance to save their own skin it would be Esposito. And he is sure that Kate will talk to her father to get him to come. He is not counting either of the men out just yet.

"Rick I don't know what to say. The fact that you were giving Jenny and me a second chance at life means everything. I will repay you somehow."

"Yes Rick, I also want to thank you. And there is a bit of news we need to share with you… actually everyone. We are going to be parents in 7 months." Jenny tells them.

Everyone congratulates the new parents to be.

"Then it's settled. There will be seats on the shuttle for six additional passengers. I will tell everyone who is coming when we need to leave by. There is also a maximum weight limit for personal belongings of one hundred pounds. This is what SpaceX is telling us we can not exceed if we want to get off the ground."

When the shock wears off of the news they received everybody finishes their meal. And when they are finished with dessert Rick brings out a bottle of very expensive brandy and pours each guest a small brandy glass to drink with the exception of Jenny who gets sparkling cider.

"Rick, can I ask where we are going to leave from?" Lanie asks.

"As far as I know I think we need to get to California. SpaceX has its main headquarters there and they launch and recover all their space vehicles from that location. I'm not too sure how we're going to do that other than drive because I'm guessing by then all air traffic will be grounded. But if we do have the luxury of flying the tickets will be covered and hopefully will get there with little trouble. If we need to drive, I have that covered as well. We will be going in style in a SUV limo."

When everything was said and done everybody who came to dinner thanked Rick for his compassion by thinking of them. The apartment was cleaned up and Alexis had gone to bed. That left Kate and Rick alone.

"I'd have thought that your dad would take the offer to stay alive," Rick told her.

"I did too. But I'm not sure what he was thinking. I let her case go and I know that it will never be solved now. But I can see his viewpoint too. If we were married and you had died, I'm not that sure I could leave you alone here either."

"No I get it but maybe he will change his mind. Either way, your father and Javi will have seats no matter what they decide."

They both embraced each other in a full-body hug. When they were done Kate took Rick's and gently tugged him to the bedroom. Tonight, their lovemaking was more fulfilling than anything else. Their time on this planet would be very short-lived he for one wonders what it will be like living on a new planet. Without warning at 4:30 in the morning his phone starts ringing angrily….


	9. Chapter 9

Rick fumbled for the phone to answer it before it woke up Kate. She was deliciously naked lying next to him and all he had to do was… damn, there it goes the phone again. Who in the hell can be calling at this hour? He slides the little green button to accept the call and says hello.

"Mr. Castle this is Ms. Meyers."

"Good Morning Ms. Meyers. What can I do for you so early in the morning? Wait a second…Ms. Meyers? As in no longer Mrs. Meyers?"

"That is my business and mine alone Mr. Castle but I can reveal that it's a good thing that I'm now a Ms. and for good reason. Anyway, the reason for the call Mr. Castle is that I have some terrible news. It seems that an angry crowd of people numbering well over ten thousand stormed our launch facility at Vandenburgh Air Force base in California trying to get us to take them away from earth. SpaceX leased the launch pad that you were to leave from next week but now that same crowd has destroyed the launch pad, the control room to launch the rockets with and many of the ground personnel were killed during the riot after finding out that they were not going anywhere. Needless to say, there will be nothing leaving from that launch site."

"My God! I am so sorry to hear that. What do we do now?"

"We have made plans to launch from an alternate site. You and your party need to be in Florida at the Launch Complex of the Kennedy Space Center. You will be leaving from Launchpad 39A. You have until Tuesday to get there. If you don't make it there in time, I'm sorry to say that we will not wait for you. Be prompt Mr. Castle." The line went dead and he expected that. Ms. Meyers was a very busy woman and he could only imagine how many calls she had to make after his.

When he put the phone down, he looked over to Kate's side of the bed and saw that she was up. She had her head resting on her hand with her elbow on the mattress looking back at him.

"Bad news huh?"

"You could say that yes."

"What are we going to do? She sounded like we needed to be there yesterday."

"Kate this is one trip I will not miss. Come hell or high water we will be in Florida to get off this planet. We will do whatever it takes."

"I wish Javi would change his mind. But I need to know when I need to get an answer from my dad?"

"Kate the sooner the better.

Xx

Men and women who worked at the SpaceX facility at Vandenberg were overwhelmed by the damage done to the launch site by the rioters. Dr. Troutman had sent a crew to assess the damage hoping that it could be repaired quickly but when they reported back, he could not believe what had been done to the facility. Via body cameras and wireless microphones he saw and heard everything, there was no saving that site. But they had the launch pad at Cape Kennedy to fall back on. They used Vandenburgh mostly for government launches and were sure that the Mars ships would leave from there. Now that was a pipe dream. There would be a lot of maneuvering to be done but in the end, they would have everything transferred to KSC in time for the first launch.

Dr. Troutman had to oversee the transportation needs of the six SpaceX Starships. This would be the craft that would take over one thousand two hundred and fifty men and women to Mars. He will be able to launch them all within three days. The Raptor rocket engines will need to be sent separately. The amount of security was over the top because he did not want anything to happen to any part of the ship or rockets in transit so he had utilized the security staff from Vandenburg to escort the shipment. Each Starship requires thirty-one engines to achieve liftoff he was not going to deprive any one person who was going to Mars their trip due to lack of equipment. The security staff had been fully authorized to be armed with automatic weapons. They were also issued sidearms in case they needed them and enough ammunition to start a small war. Drones were used to deter anyone who had any ideas of taking out any part of the convoy. The drones were armed with AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles, the AIM-9 Sidewinder, and the GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Troutman was taking no chances of his shipment not making it to Florida. The convoy of twenty-two trucks and their forty-four escorts will be sent out on I-10 every hour on the hour for just about the next twenty-four-hour period. The shipment will be treated how the pony express was running back when mail needed to be delivered in the West. A new driver will be ready at every four hundred mile intervals where that relief driver will continue until the next relief driver takes over from him. Five of the trucks would carry the Starship itself and the remaining trucks would carry the balance of the Falcon rocket boosters.

He has a lot of work to do and little time to do it in. The men and women who are leaving need a crash course on every aspect of the ship that they will be transported in. Mostly what not to do if something goes wrong. He rubs his forehead and starts to go over all the manuals he needs to tell them about. There is a lot of information to cover and then there is the colony itself to tell them about.

Xx

Ms. Meyers along with Hanna had completed all the calls they needed to make to each person in all the groups. Not everyone was that accommodating. Most wanted to know that their investment was still sound and they would get off Earth. She assured them that everything was on track and left it at that after she gave them the new launch location. She had been in contact with David and found out that he was on his way to Florida from California. She was transferred to the Cape before the riot at Vandenberg. He was going to meet up with her at the launch site in Florida.

She was beyond smitten with him, she was in love with him. She could only hope that he would get to her without any issues. It was getting worse out there and the route he was taking was a dangerous one. Many people had died along Interstate 10 and these deaths were over stupid things. She could only hope and pray that he made it to her.

Xx

"Katie it's not that I don't want to go to Mars but your mother is here. I just can't leave her all the while knowing that she will be disintegrated. I know that she would want me to stay with her until the end."

"But dad don't you see while she might be disintegrated, you will end up facing the same fate as well. Listen, I know this is a very big decision for you to make and that's fine. I have given up Mom's case completely. She wouldn't want me to live my life the way I have been living it keeping her first and foremost. The fact that I know now that whoever put the order out to kill her will be dead soon makes it easier for me to leave. And it doesn't matter who did it I will be alive and they won't be. Karma is a bitch after all."

"Why is it that you see this as a win?" Jim asked her.

"Because for me that's exactly what it is dad. I killed Coonan and he was the one who carried out the order and killed her. You can let her go knowing that she was avenged when I killed Coonan or you can spend your last couple of days being with her. It's your choice and I can't tell you what you should do. But I will honor any decision that you come to."

"Thanks, Katie that means a lot. I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow." Jim promised her and looked towards the cemetery where his wife was buried.

"That's good dad. Rick got a call the day before yesterday from Ms. Meyers. I think that they are telling the people in all twelve groups to be in Florida by next week. The SpaceX launch site at Vandenberg was destroyed by people who demanded to be taken off the planet. They have increased security in and around the secondary launch site at the Cape. I hope that you can call me first thing in the morning?"

"I will bug. Now I really need to get all my personal stuff out of the firm before today is over. I love you, Katie."

"I love you too dad."

She watches as he walks towards the cemetery that she has been to hundreds of times. She turns away and hopes that he will come with her. But as she told him she will honor his decision even if he stays on Earth.

Xx

Rick had to get everyone in his party to have their personal effects to be at or under one hundred pounds. Books take a lot of room and weigh a lot. There is a way to take a virtual library with them as long as they have an external hard drive that can hold a lot of information. He researches those drives and finds that the largest available is a five terra byte. Once he gets this he can download anything into the external drive and anyone can access it through the network on a laptop. So, taking actual books would not be necessary. He knows that the internet will not be available for quite some time but he has hopes that the people from SpaceX can remedy that fast.

The life he is used to will change drastically when they arrive on Mars and that's okay. There will be a lot of work to be done in order to survive and he will do whatever needs to be done as long as the work is evenly distributed. There will be no claiming that you can't do anything at the colony. If you have the ability to work then even the man or woman who was once rich on earth will be equal in the colony. There will be no playing favorites.

Rick only wants to begin a life (however long it is because let's face it he is getting up there in age) with a clean slate. If he wants to be able to pull this off before they leave, he needs to move his ass. He picked up the phone and makes a call.

"Joseph, I know that it's been a while but I need a huge favor," Rick asks his friend.

"Rick I'm not sure that I can help you. You do know that the world as we know it will end pretty soon right? These assholes have just destroyed my shop and I don't have anything for you to look at."

"Joseph, I don't need glamorous or glitzy. She is a down to earth kind of woman. Is there a way I can see what you have left?"

"Rick I have some very minor pieces left. There are the only ones I could take before the looters broke the front window and then all the jewelry cases. They were in the safe in the back room and I grabbed what was on the shelves and took off running out the back of the store. Your welcome to look at what I have left and since the world is ending soon, I will give you what I have for a song."

"I will meet you. Let's meet at the pavilion at West 77th street in the park."

"I'll see you there in about a half-hour."

"Goodbye Joseph."

"Take care Rick"

Xx

Rick looks at what Joseph has left in the way of rings and he was right it wasn't much. But there is a nice ring that caught his eye and for the low price of two hundred and fifty dollars, it is his.

"Rick that diamond is just under three carats. The setting isn't the greatest and since you are buying this I'll throw in the matching wedding bands for free."

"Joseph, I don't know what to say," Rick tells him.

"We're all going to die soon Rick so I hope that you and your bride to be will enjoy the time you have left. This is my gift to you."

Rick didn't have the heart to tell him that he was going to be leaving for Florida on Friday. So, he commiserated with him.

"Joseph for what its worth this will make her last days on the planet ones that she'll remember until it ends."

Joseph gives Rick a bro hug and turns to leave. Rick just watches as he walks out of the park and down 77th street.

Xx

_**Early the next morning...**_

Jim knows that no matter what he tells his daughter she will fight him tooth and nail to get him to go with her. He does want to go because what could be better than living on another planet and at the same time keeping yourself alive? It's just that he is getting older and he will probably most likely be the first person to die on Mars of old age before anybody else. After struggling with his decision, he picks up his cell phone and makes the call he knows she'll fight him on.

"Hi, Katie. How's life treating you now that you're out of a job?"

"I might be out of a job but there is a lot to do before we leave for Florida." She can hear it in his voice. He's staying here and not coming with them. Her heart just shattered into a million little pieces. She lost her mom and now she is going to lose her dad.

"I'm guessing that you've made your decision," Kate asked.

"That I have Katie. Listen bug, it's not in the cards for me this time around. I was not made to be a space cowboy, I'm getting too old for this kind of adventure. This trip is for the younger set not an old man like me."

"Dad, don't you see that you could live the rest of your life in peace? There will be a lot to do on Mars. Laws will need to be legislated and enforced. I'm the enforcement part of it and you are the lawyer."

"You need to understand something Katie I was born here, met the love of my life here and lived every day here on Earth. If the universe decides to throw me a curveball, I'm going to go down swinging. On the day that Athos impacts with Earth, I will be with your mother right by her side. I'm sure that it will be very painless after that split second it hits."

She really can't argue the fact that he will stay here. He's made his choice and that as they say is final. She wants to see him before she leaves tomorrow and has an idea to meet him with Rick at his favorite diner for dinner tonight.

Xx

Rick had looked for any flights out of the three major airports in the tri-state area and found nothing. He even tried Westchester County Airport, Teterboro airport, and MacArthur airport out on the island there was no commercial or private planes flying anywhere. It's not that the FAA had grounded the aircraft it's just that there were no seats available anywhere in the world. So now he's relying on ground transportation. If he looks back on it now, he was anticipating this problem. It's what made him purchase one GMC Yukon XL Denali last year. It was brand new when he bought it and it has practically less than 50 miles on it. it has been sitting in the underground garage of the loft and when he sold the loft, he moved it to the new apartment with the garage on the Eastside. There's enough room to carry everyone they need to carry. Ryan and Jenny in the second set of captain's chairs behind Rick and Kate and Alexis will be in the rearmost seat with Lanie. There is plenty of cargo room for their luggage. Rick enters the garage and sees that the SUV is still where he left it. He checks the fluid levels, the tires and starts it up to make sure it still can start. Tomorrow they will all meet here and load up the GMC. When he's finished, he secures it and heads up to the apartment. In the elevator his phone pings with a text from Kate.

_"Rick, can you meet me at our swings? Dad had decided not to come with us and I called Javi to make sure that he was staying too. He is. I want to take my father to his favorite diner for something to eat before we leave and I'd like you to be there with me."_

Rick types out his response.

_"I'm on my way. Be there in a few minutes. I love you."_

He is such a sweet man always trying to raise her spirits.

Xx

Dinner was bittersweet. Rick and Kate wanted him to come with them but he told them that he needed to stay. Rick told Jim that his mother was also staying behind and that he had made peace with her decision. Maybe they could be of some comfort to each other. Rick paid the check for dinner it was the least he could do. When they were finished and Kate had gone to the restroom Rick told Jim what he wanted to do.

"Mr. Beckett I want to ask your permission to marry your daughter." Rick held his breath after he asked his question.

"Rick, don't you think that's a bit useless now? I can see that you love her and I know that you will care and provide for her."

"Jim it means a lot to me. Call me old fashioned but I believe that this is a time-honored tradition. So, I'd like your permission."

"Okay, Rick you have it. All I ask is that you love her with all your heart and from time to time mention my name to her so she won't forget me."

"I don't think that'll be possible. She will never forget you."

"Forget who?" Kate asks as she walks up to the table.

"Me," Jim says.

They part ways and Kate is in tears after she leaves his embrace. She knows that it sucks but he has made his decision. They turn and walk away as Jim watches them. When they are out of sight he turns back and heads to his apartment.

**A/N: One chapter left plus an epilogue.**


	10. Chapter 10

Now the fact that Athos could be seen by the naked eye made it feel more real for everyone on the planet but even now more so unescapable. But everyone knew that living past the fifth day of its approach would be impossible. Not that it would matter anyway but the United States government had imposed their version of a dusk till dawn curfew across the country. Even though they tried to enforce the law nobody listened or just didn't care. The New York National Guard had been keeping up with enforcing the law in their state but it got to the point where people were just killing each other in the streets for no reason at all. To some, it was like they were playing a game. But in some instances, it was over the basic necessities to live like food, water, and keeping warm. A total breakdown of society had quickly been achieved.

The straw that broke the camel's back turned out to be when six families rented a converted school bus to get to somewhere they thought they would be safe. Twelve parents, seven grandparents and three great grandparents along with over thirty-two children were viciously gunned down as their bus passed the entrance to the George Washington Bridge on 179th St in Washington Heights on their way out of the city. The driver was able to bring the bus to a safe stop before he died at the wheel. They were killed for the bus that they were driving in. And all it was was your basic yellow school bus painted a different color and the people who killed them wanted it to escape New York City for themselves.

The governor had enough. He had the phone to his ear seconds after hearing about the attack. He ordered that those people be dealt with swiftly. The air wing from the New York National Guard dispatched two MQ-9 Reaper unmanned combat aircraft from the 174th Attack Wing, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York. They had one mission and that was to take out the men who killed all those children for the benefit of getting a form of transportation to get away from the city. The Reapers were dispatched and they can fly faster than an F 22 Raptor. Flying at Mach three the Reapers were in position before the bus even made it to the midspan of the George Washington Bridge. On the way south following the Hudson river towards the bridge, the Reapers launched their GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs from little more than a mile away. All four bombs were targeting the school bus. In the next three seconds, it was over. The bus stopped after hitting the center divider and exploded in a huge fireball killing everyone onboard.

Xx

Countries like the former Soviet Union and China had violated their citizen's civil rights. Anyone who defied the martial law that was imposed in the country they were shot on sight no questions asked. The people took notice and stayed indoors knowing what would face them if they ventured outside after the curfew was in place for the night.

Great Britain and its empire had banned the sale of weapons of any type or kind on any level. Handguns, long guns, hand grenades, mortars, mines, and even old-fashioned black powder weapons were banned. Crossbows, compound bows and the like were also banned. You were not even allowed to buy a pocket knife. Their ban seemed to be working for now but three days later a cargo ship that docked in Liverpool was circumventing their ban efforts. A Saudi ship had three types of automatic weapons and handguns. Ar-15's, AK-47's and Mac 10's for sale and were sold at a premium price. Some of these people who had bought these weapons with extra ammo had the bright idea of trying to storm Scotland yard to protest the weapon ban. The result was over two thousand men and women raiding the Yard. In all two hundred sixty-two police officers were murdered at Scotland yard. Most were killed responding from home who had the day off. Over one thousand fifteen men and women were killed in response to the attack. The snipers atop the tall buildings had a field day. Such a waste of life.

Xx

Rick was waiting patiently down in the garage with all the doors open on the Denali as Alexis and Kate made their last walkthrough of the apartment. He doubted that they would find anything worth taking since he had done this just last night and found nothing. Knowing that he was not going to sleep last night he was up at three a.m. to load all their personal belongings they were taking with them. They had a plan worked out that would split the driving duties between four drivers. Rick would take the first shift and get them out of New York and through New Jersey. Everybody agreed upon staying away from Interstate 95 because what they heard on the news and by word of mouth was that people, disturbing people were extracting everything they could from people who are traveling anywhere on the interstate. And they did it by gunpoint since most of the people ended up dead in their cars from gunshot wounds and the thieves still took what they wanted. They agreed to take Interstate 87 North into Westchester County NY and then South onto 287 into New Jersey and navigate South towards Interstate 78. From there they would take Interstate 81 South to Interstate 77 South and cut across to Interstate 26 South and then reluctantly use Interstate 95 through all of Georgia and some of Florida. The entire trip mapped out should only take them sixteen and a half hours. With four people driving four hours each, the ride should be a pleasant one and not that tiring. They should have known that it would not be that easy.

The elevator arrived at the garage level and Rick looked immediately to see if they had anything in their hands once the door opened. The only thing that Kate had was her service weapon, an older M-16 slung over her back and a green ammo box. When you looked at her, she looked like a badass and he gave her a serious look not knowing why she was armed the way she was.

"Rick, I'm not taking any chances for us not to make it to Florida. I've heard the stories and seen the news reports and I know what we will be facing no matter which way we go to get there. I agree with you that the route you have chosen gives us the best advantage to get there without running into any problems. But opportunity pops up at every corner so that's why I'm armed the way I am. Ryan will be coming armed the same way. These people will stop at nothing to get what they want, even kill us to get it."

Rick looks over to Alexis who is holding a small .38 caliber revolver was nodding her head that she was in agreement with Kate. The security gate on 2nd Avenue started to roll up and they all turned to see who was coming in. It was Ryan pulling up in his unmarked unit with Jenny sitting in the front seat. They parked two spots away from the Denali and got their bags out of the trunk. Rick relaxed a little when he saw the pair get out of the car.

"Morning all," Ryan said.

Everyone responded with a good morning to their friends. They stowed their bags and started talking about the trip they were about to take. All they needed to do was to wait for Lanie and they were going to leave.

Xx

She was running for her life.

Everything she owned was in her backpack and her overnight bag both hanging off her shoulders. She was lucky enough to hail a cab from her apartment and made it about five blocks before the driver was shot through the front windshield by a sniper. The car slammed into a fire hydrant and water was everywhere. She tried getting out of the car but the impact from hitting the hydrant jammed the rear doors shut. She opened the window and squeezed through the opening and grabbed her bags from the back seat after she was free. She looked around to get her sense of direction and she noticed she was only six blocks away from Rick's new place. She started walking away but then she heard gunshots and they were being fired at her. She started running knowing that her life was in danger. She made as far as three blocks before she became winded quickly. She stopped to catch her breath but knowing that they were right behind her took three cleansing breaths and started running again. She could hear them getting closer as she ran so she picked up the pace and Unfortunately so did they. Bullets were ricocheting off the sides of buildings and she thought to herself that these guys had really bad aim or they were just fucking with her. She thought the latter because they could kill her anytime they wanted to.

"You can run, but you can never hide! Ha ha ha!" One of her tormenters yelled.

Lanie wished that she was a little closer to Rick's place. She was still running and almost tripped on an uneven part of the sidewalk. Regaining her balance, she started running faster. She was at full speed when she heard shots being fired at her again. But this time she heard what sounded like three or four bodies hitting the ground behind her. Slowing to a stop she turns around and sees three men and one woman lying on the sidewalk with holes in their foreheads and blood flowing along the sidewalk and into the street.

"LANIE!" Kate yelled out.

She turns towards the voice and sees Kate, Ryan, and Rick with automatic weapons still trained on their targets.

"KATE! Oh my god thank you so much. They would have caught and killed me if it wasn't for you." Lanie exclaimed.

She ran towards her friend who hugged her after she slung her rifle over her shoulder.

Knowing she was safe she broke from the hug and said,

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

Everyone except Kate that is. She remembers what her father said yesterday about him staying with her mother. He wanted to stay because she was his connection to this planet. But she had information that didn't let him know about. It's not that she didn't want to tell him it's just that if she did, she didn't want to sway his decision to come with them. But now she is second-guessing her choice. Rick doesn't even know about her condition and if she was smart about it, she would have used that in order to get her father to come along with them. They still have some time before they leave and maybe she can give him a quick call and explain her situation. She decides to tell Rick about the change in plans. This won't be easy and he might even think that she is lying to him by not telling him but honestly, she just found out three days ago.

"Rick I need to talk to you. And no, it's not bad."

"Okay, Kate you have my undivided attention what did you need to talk about?" Rick asks.

"I took a home pregnancy test three days ago and it was positive. I'm going to have a baby, well we're going to have a baby." Kate held her breath and even cross their fingers her fingers in the hopes that Rick wouldn't explode right in front of her and her friends.

"Kate that's great that's amazing I can't believe it you're going to be the first person on Mars to give birth to a baby!" Rick exclaimed.

"Well, there is that Rick but that wasn't what I was thinking about."

Rick just looked at her and it was as if he could read her mind and he knew exactly what she was doing or what she was going to do.

"So, when are you going to call him?"

"That's just it Rick I don't know if I should. He already made up his mind and if I tell him this it'll be like I'm using it to blackmail him to get him to come with us. But the way I look at it is that he has a reason to come if he wants to. He can be the doting grandfather and he is a direct DNA relative to this baby."

"Kate I'll support you in any decision you make. But this is good news so I think he'll see it as a game-changer."

Kate wrapped around Rick in a big hug and when they were finished, she pulled out her phone and gave her father a call.

"Hey, dad it's me, Kate. I just wanted to talk to you in person somewhere before we left. I was thinking about that coffee shop on 2nd Ave between 28th St and 29th St?"

"The café mid-block? I think it's called Carl's if I'm not mistaken." Jim recollects.

"That's the place! Can we meet there in say half an hour because we need to talk about something important before we leave for Florida."

"No problem Katie I'll see you there in 30 minutes."

Xx

Kate decided on walking since there was practically no foot traffic from here to where the diner was. Most of the population was either looting stores or killing people getting what they had from them. She made it there in less than fifteen minutes and ordered two coffees for each of them. It wasn't ten minutes later when he walked in and she looked up at the door when the overhead bell chimed.

"Hey, dad," Kate said she got up and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey, bug. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine dad. I'm going to get to the reason why we're both here right now. I might have told you a little white lie or left out some information before you made your decision to stay with mom."

"You have? What is it, Katie? Please don't tell me there something wrong with you like you're dying of cancer or something because I don't think my heart could take losing two women in my life."

"No dad it's nothing like that. But it does have to do with a new addition to our family."

All Jim could do was look at her with a question mark written all over his face.

"Katie I'm gonna need a little help here. For the life of me, I can't figure out what you trying to tell me."

"Dad you are going to be a grandfather. Now I'm not using this to get you to come along with us but I just wanted to let you know everything so you can make a very informed and rational decision."

Jim just sat there rubbing his jaw with his hand. He ran his hand through his hair and still could not justify the reason he was going to stay here. His daughter would be carrying on the family line. He would be going with them if they would have him.

"When are we leaving?"

Kate launched herself across the table spilling what remained in their coffee cups. She wrapped her arms around her father in a lung crushing hug. Jim was amazed at her strength and was having trouble breathing.

"Katie, having …trouble…breathing!"

Pulling away she could see that his face was beet red from lack of oxygen. But the smile he wore was over the top. They paid their bill, left the diner and packed about eighty-five pounds of Jim's personal items. Kate called Rick and told him that she was on her way back. They met down in the garage.

"So I can see that we have another passenger."

"You do. Rick thanks not leaving me behind."

"Hey Jim, I just listen to the woman I love. She did all the heavy lifting here. But I am glad that you're coming with us."

"Me too Rick, me too."

They loaded up the Denali and Rick got in behind the wheel and they were off. They didn't make it out of the Bronx and into Yonkers before they started seeing burnt-out cars, buses, tanks, and APCs. It was like a war zone and they had only driven about thirty-three miles.

They crossed over the Tappan Zee Bridge and that's when they witnessed their first shooting. They had just passed the Palisades mall at exit twelve and slowed a little when Kate noticed what looked like a firing squad. The New York State Police had a barracks at that exit and the troopers must have had caught people out after curfew during the night. They were lined up and shot without any hesitation. The second she saw them slump over she told Rick to hit the gas.

Xx

Dr. Troutman had sent all the technical manuals on with the first SpaceX Starship being transported to the Cape. When they arrived in Florida, they would be made into an easy to read smaller version of the large manuals he had taken all the information from. The first ship is already being prepped for liftoff tomorrow by the ground crew there. The thirty-one booster rockets will be fueled and assembled for the first launch on Sunday at 0700. They needed to start launching the ships because the ionosphere will most definitely become unstable with the speed that Athos is traveling towards the Earth. It will act like a tidal wave or a tsunami in space if you will. The shock wave and G force from the speed of Athos and the launch speed of the ships will give the ship unneeded pressure that it will need to endure passing through space. It will be like being inside an egg being dropped from about a foot high the outer shell of the SpaceX Starship will be crushed like a tin can.

The launch schedule is for one Starship to be launched every twelve hours over the next seventy-two hours. The last ship will leave earth 1900 hours on Tuesday night. If all goes according to plan Athos will impact Earth five hours and thirty-eight minutes later.

He has been keeping a close eye on the progress of the European Union's program at their launch site just northeast of South America in French Guiana. Kourou lies at latitude 5°3', just over 500 km north of the equator. Its nearness to the equator makes it ideally placed for launches into geostationary transfer orbit as few changes have to be made to a satellite's trajectory.

The launch process also profits from the 'slingshot' effect, which is the energy created by the speed of the Earth's rotation around the axis of the poles. This increases the speed of a launched ship by 460 meters per second. These important factors save fuel and money and prolong the active life of satellites.

Thanks to its geographical position, Europe's Spaceport offers a launch angle of 102°, enabling a wide range of missions from east to north. In fact, Europe's Spaceport is so well placed that it can carry out all possible space missions.

It was the mission to the moon that changed everything for them. They needed to revamp the whole process from launching satellites to launching an actual ship to carry two hundred men and women. They overcame that obstacle by recalculating the materials needed to launch their last hope for the survival of the human race. The cargo ships were done delivering the materials to build the habitat. The ships served two purposes. The first being getting the materials to the moon and the second was to give the personnel a temporary place to live while they built the main habitat.

He watched their launch from his vantage point on the way to Florida and wished them luck. The ship cleared the Earth's gravitational pull and in less than three days they would be landing at their base near the equator on the moon.

Xx

They traveled smartly by avoiding any traps that might be in their path. At least four times they needed to leave the highway and take secondary roads to bypass the threat of the possibility of being shot or mugged from the interstate. They were in Virginia and heading south on Interstate 81. If their luck held, they would be stopping for gas and a restroom break when they turned off at Interstate 77 to head south. From that point, they would only be on the road for another eight to ten hours before they reached the Cape.

It was decided that Kate and Ryan would always stay in the back seat. Her father would sit in the middle and act as an ammo supplier if need be. They taught him how to reload the magazines for Kate's older M-16 in Ryan's AR-15. Lanie having never fired a weapon in her life refused to take possession of Kate's service weapon a .40 caliber Glock 22. Rick was in the passenger seat and Alexis of all people was driving. Rick had his Sig Saur in his shoulder holster and Alexis still had the .38-caliber revolver tucked into her waistband.

The junction from I-81 merging onto I-77 and then South to the North Carolina state line was about an hour and fifteen minutes away. Alexis would finish this leg of the trip and stop at the Love's truck stop at Lambsburg Va.

Alexis pulled the Denali towards the gas pumps and parked near pump number eleven. Shutting down the engine she could tell that something was not right. The place was deserted. There was no one here. Even the big trucks that should be idling in the parking lot were nowhere to be seen. She looked West past the tire repair shop and the truck lot was empty there was not a semi here.

"Alexis the power for the pumps is on so start filling the Denali. We are going to check out the food situation inside. When I get back, we will alternate bathroom breaks."

"Okay, dad." Alexis watches as her father unholsters his Sig and he and Jim walk to the store. Beckett and Ryan have taken a defensive position around her with their rifles pointed towards any threat that might materialize. Jenny helped her by checking the tires and oil. They were both fine.

Rick and Jim were stunned to find the store completely void of anything. This truck stop dispenses somewhere around ten thousand gallons of fuel on a daily basis yet there is nothing left in the store or any of the fast-food joints. Most everything that was on the shelves was cleared out. They are able to find some packaged food along with warm bottled water and grab what's left. It will feed them at least. When Rick and Jim return the truck is full and the bathroom breaks have been done.

Not wanting to tempt fate everyone decided to leave truck stop without looking behind them. Why ask for trouble if it's not there? The tank was full they had something to eat and Jim agreed to take the next four hours which would put them just short of the Interstate 26 merge to I 95. Rick was in the passenger seat, Kate and Ryan were in the middle two seats armed and watching everything and Alexis had become ammo supplier. Lanie had the rearmost seat with Jenny.

Xx

The full tank they picked up in Virginia got them all the way to the Cape. They were met by a very heavily armed security detail as they pulled up to the gate of the launch site 39A. After they identified themselves as the passengers from SpaceX group six they were ushered into a secure area and then all of them were patted down and their personal belongings were inspected. All their belongings were laid out on the tarmac in front of a hanger that led to the launch site itself. Their belongings were inspected, weighed and any contraband that was not allowed to make should trip was removed. Their weapons were seized and given to the security detail to disposed of. They didn't need them any longer anyway.

"Mr. Castle, I am glad that you have arrived and in one piece. My name is doctor Troutman as you already know. As of right now, your ship will be the fourth to leave the planet in a little under thirty-six hours. There are going to be a couple of things I need to go over with you and your party before you even step foot on that Starship. You need to know basic operational knowledge of this ship in case something goes wrong. It's not just you who needs to know this but everyone who is on your ship all two hundred and fifty people also need to know this. Now don't be afraid it's just basic knowledge that if something does go wrong you will be able to handle it."

After they were fed everyone in Ricks party had a crash course on what could happen if the Starship encountered troubles on the way to Mars. Now what he didn't know was that the trip going to take anywhere from three to four months. He knew the moon was only three days away and he couldn't understand why it would take so long to get to Mars. That's when doctor Troutman had told him that wherever they launched their ship from it would be months or a little less depending on the alignment of Mars and Earth. As it stands now, they will be on Mars in three months, twenty-eight days and fourteen hours from when they launch.

They were told to leave their gear in the staging area and then they were brought to the hangar adjacent to the launch pad to be fitted with light astronaut suits. These were not the ones used by the Apollo missions, they were the ones used by the shuttle missions which were just insulated coveralls that had the mission patch on the upper right chest and the United States flag on each shoulder. Once everyone was fitted with their suits, and their gear was in plain sight, they had less than a day and a half before they left earth. They were shown to a common room with six twin size beds. It was like a Marine type barracks and they knew that sleep was the first thing they need to catch up on. They were also shown where the mess hall was so they could get something to eat in the morning after they woke up and had their shower and redressed.

Just before falling asleep Rick watched Ms. Meyers entered their common area. In a whisper not knowing if everyone was asleep, she congratulated Rick for making it from New York City all the way to Cape Canaveral safely.

_"Mr. Castle I'm glad that you made it down here. Tomorrow I will take a headcount and get you set up for the trip on the Starship. There will be a matter of a refund as I only see seven people in your group and you paid for eight. That will all be taken care of tomorrow. Please try to get a good night's sleep."_

Before Rick could even respond Ms. Meyers turned and left the common area.

Xx

The next morning they woke refreshed but still a little weary from traveling just about one thousand one hundred and fifty-four miles in less than a day. Everyone showered and they were making their way to the mess hall to see what was available to eat. The had a good choice of food and ate like it was their last meal. Well, It most likely was.

Xx

After the finished eating, they were introduced to the rest of their group. The more people they met in their group the more it felt like a family. In group six there were only seven children who were under ten years old. They talked to just about everyone and made a lot more friends. They heard the buildings overhead speaker crackle to life with an announcement.

_"Attention all personnel. The fourth Starship will launch in T minus fifteen minutes. That is all"_

Everyone who was in the mess hall and adjacent hanger stepped outside and lined the road that led to the launchpad. From where they stood, they could see the countdown timer's red LED numbers and there were six minutes left. When the timer reached one minute thirty seconds left, they could see people leaving the launchpad site to take cover in the launch control building. One minute later they noticed a light mist of fuel exiting the bottom end of the rocket. Then a spark ignited the fuel vapors and ignition started. The ship lifted off the launch pad and started to rise into the morning sky.

At liftoff, the Starship weighs more than 3.7 million pounds and it takes eight seconds for the engines and boosters to accelerate the ship to 100 mph. But by the time the first minute has passed, the shuttle is traveling more than 1,000 mph and it has already consumed more than one million pounds of fuel. After about two minutes, when the Starship is about 28 miles high and traveling more than 3,000 mph, and once the propellant in the thirty-one boosters is exhausted and the booster casings are jettisoned they parachute into the Atlantic Ocean, splashing down about 140 miles off the Florida coast.

Even though the booster tanks will be jettisoned there will be no need for them to be recovered because this will be a one-way trip.

Rick and Kate watched as the Starship climbed and entered the upper atmosphere. When they could no longer see it, their heads turned to the threat that was getting larger as it moved closer to earth. Athos.

Xx

Knowing that they were going to leave in less than twenty-four hours of sleep was next to impossible to achieve. Kate and Rick and Kevin and Jenny were trying to sleep in the beds next to each other but with no luck. It was then when they knew that sleep would be impossible that they started to talk quietly to each other.

"Rick I am a little afraid. What if we don't get off the ground tomorrow?" Kate asks.

"Kate you've seen the launch at seven am and the one at seven pm. Both were flawless. There will be no problems."

"Kevin, I am not so sure about living on another planet. We will be starting all over again." Jenny pointed out.

"Jen I'd rather be starting all over again then be stuck here with only two days left to live."

"Kate, is your dad all set to leave tomorrow?"

"He is. He had a complete physical earlier just to be sure he could make the trip. They gave him a clean bill of health. But his blood pressure was a touch higher than normal."

"That could be from all the excitement. I know I'd be feeling that way."

Eventually, they all fell asleep. Rick was the first to get up. He had already showered and changed into his grey mission coveralls. He had all their gear placed by the doorway so they could take it as they left the barracks. When that was done, he sat on his bed and watched her sleep. After about twenty minutes passed when he noticed how calm she looked. Then without warning, she spoke.

"Staring is still creepy Rick."

"I know but you look at least ten years younger when you are asleep. Come on we need to get going we leave in about an hour and a half."

Rick slides off the end of the bed drops to one knee in front of her as he pulls out the ring box with all three rings in it from his pocket.

"Kate, I know I'm doing this at the worst possible time but I love you so I am going to ask you to marry me now. I know it won't count because we'll be on Mars and no one can legally officiate our wedding vows because we are leaving in about an hour, but I have your engagement ring and your wedding band here.

"Rick… I don't know what to say." Kate says as she gets up it looks him straight in the face.

"Saying yes would be a good start. I love you and I know you love me so at least we can play the part of being married with the rings. I want our child to have a mother and a father who love him or her with all their hearts."

"In that case Mr. Castle, yes, I will marry you. Maybe we can make it official when we get to Mars. There has to be some type of religious person coming along."

"I never thought of that. Good thinking Mrs. Castle to be,"

"Yeah, I do have some good ideas. We are leaving soon so let me get a shower so we can get ready to go."

Xx

Everyone was ready and dressed in their coveralls waiting for the bus to start taking them to the launch pad. They started to move the group about a half hour ago and they were the last group to be shuttled to the Starship. After stepping off the bus they all looked up at the sheer size of the ship. It was massive. One of the ground crew directed them where to go and they followed his direction. Once inside the ship they found their seats and took them. The funny thing about the way you sat was that you were facing up so getting into the seat was a little hard. Once they were strapped in, they waited. The interior lights dimmed to about fifty percent brightness and the ship's pilot told them what would happen next.

"Good morning. My name is Commander Stevenson. My pilot for this trip is John Hughes. We will be going through our preflight check and then we will be ready to go. It will be at least twenty minutes before we lift off."

Xx

Space travel is not for the faint of heart. Jim felt the vibrations when the engines were fired up and he grabbed onto the seat arms and held on as if his life depended on it. Rick, Jenny, and Lanie were pinching their eyes closed not wanting to see what might happen next. What you can't see can't hurt you right? The only three people who were enjoying the crazy vibrations were Kate, Kevin and of course Alexis. Each thought this would be the ride of a lifetime and for them it was. The ship started to rise and they were well on their way. There was no turning back now.

Xx

Martha who had practically drunk herself into oblivion every night since her son has left sits on his very plush and comfortable sofa looking out the picture window at the sky. He was kind enough to tell her that they were leaving this morning and she wanted to be up to see if possibly she could see his ship rising into the sky. He was smart enough to set up a radio that received transmissions from the ship to the ground crew for her. Something about a super UHF scanner of some sort. She had been listening to the last couple of launches that happened at the Cape and her heart was practically in her throat with each one just to make sure they got off the ground.

Her days have been filled with deciding what type of alcohol she wants to have that day. Since her son left over two weeks ago, she has had a steady alcohol only diet. In the morning she has Bloody Mary's and screwdrivers for breakfast, for lunch she usually ends up with either margaritas or sangria and at night she sticks mostly to wine. Expensive reds and whites that are aged well are the ticket.

Martha had always had a very healthy appetite for sex. She admired the male form in any way shape or size. In knowing that the world was coming to an end this gave her an extra incentive to go out kicking and screaming. What she should have done was installed a revolving door to replace her son's front door. Apart from drinking her life away, she was also having mind-blowing sex. Most people when they get to be her age start to lose their appetite for sex. It's a natural progression from having it when you were younger too not so much when you're older. Things just get in the way like children, careers, and whatever else can pop up during your lifetime. But not with Martha. She was going to go out her way and on her terms. The number of men she had then was in the past two weeks was obscene.

She knows that she is not long for this world and it ends in less than two and a half days from now. She also knows that she hasn't eaten anything since he has left. At her heaviest, she was 122 pounds. Now she barely tips to scale at 86 pounds. Her plan is working and then by the time this meteor hits the planet she should have wasted away to about 65 pounds and then she won't even care what happens to her then.

Since he has left, she has often thought about how he is doing. Is he safe? Did they get to where they had to get to in order to leave this planet? Will he survive?

Xx

Doctor Troutman had made his arrival to the Cape after the first two rockets had left earth. The ground crew here did an excellent job of getting them into the air and away from the planet. After he had checked on operations of what was happening with the remaining Starships, he went to see Ms. Myers.

"Good morning Emily."

"David! Oh my god, I'm so glad that you're finally here!" Emily gets up from her desk and runs around to the front of it to take him into a huge hug, bone-crushing in fact.

"All I could think about was you on the whole trip here. Emily, I'm in love with you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"I love you too David."

Hanna watches as the couple kiss and hug once again. To her, they look like a match made in heaven.

"SpaceX was kind enough to give us the last fifty seats on the last Starship to leave tomorrow night. Athos has caused a disturbance in the upper atmosphere and I want to make sure that we are out of here and safely away from any disturbance it might cause."

"I know. I've been reading the reports and our ship will make it out just about twelve hours before the world ends. SpaceX was kind enough to allow us more than the one hundred pound limit only because we will be taking along our additional supplies for the colony."

"Just think Emily in about four months will be starting a new life on a new planet," David told her.

"I can't wait."

**A/N: Epilogue coming soon!**


	11. Epilogue

_**Five years have passed since they have arrived on Mars…**_

Living on Mars has been a challenge, to say the least. The fact that they were alive was a miracle in itself. The colony on Mars was now the only part of the human race that survived earth's demise five years ago….

_**Five years earlier…**_

The speed at which Athos had impacted the planet earth was far greater than anyone had ever expected. At its thickest, the Earth's crust is forty-four miles deep. The speed at which Athos hit the Earth was a little shy of 148,000 thousand miles per hour. Athos struck the Earth between the South American and African continents. Specifically, the South American and Scotia tectonic plates in the South Atlantic ocean. The energy released from the impact of Athos was equaled to over two hundred million nuclear weapons detonating at the same time. Athos went deeper than the Earth's outer crust and stopped eighty-seven miles into the upper mantle. But the damage had already been done. The Earth had started to literarily split in half. Everything on the Earth's crust had been destroyed instantly. In a split second the oceans were sent towards the remaining landmasses and were covered in seconds extinguishing all life on the planet. Those who did not die from being crushed to death by sections of earth that struck them were drowned when the oceans covered the land. The column of debris from the impact sent large chunks of land the size of Iowa skyward. The escape velocity of the larger debris was faster than when Athos hit the planet. Somewhere around 200, 000 miles per hour.

Xx

The European Union had almost finished erecting their colony's permanent habitat. They had front row seats for the end of the world as they watched Athos streak by twelve hours prior. Athos came within 1.5 million miles from the moon when it passed them heading for a direct path towards the earth. They should have realized that the size of this meteor was going to be an issue. No one had the foresight to bring a telescope with them to watch the result. Having completed everything for the habitat a day later, all they needed to do now was to move into their new living areas. Everyone decided to get some sleep and start fresh tomorrow. Little did they know that they would never be able to do this.

The chunk of land that was most likely the tip South America was now hurtling towards the moon. From Perito Moreno in Argentina to Puerto Natales in Chile is roughly five hundred twenty miles in length. That specific section of land had exceeded 200,000 miles per hour when it left Earth and was heading straight for the moon's equator. At its current speed and escape velocity, it would impact the European Union's base camp in less than four hours. When it did everyone there would die in their sleep because they never knew what hit them. The crater it made on the moon was ten times larger and deeper than the crater that killed the dinosaurs on earth millions of years ago.

Xx

Martha as most of the people on Earth felt little pain when their lives ended. As far away as it was the blinding light could be seen from anywhere on the planet. The speed at which the wind knocked down the major cities around the planet was unbelievable. Within ten seconds after impact, the planet was void of any living thing. Not even microscopic organisms survived. Then the earth split in half and then half again. It no longer looked like the round orb it once was.

Javier Esposito looked at the bright light from his mother's bedroom. In all honesty, he should have gone with Beckett, Castle, and Ryan. His mother had passed away three days ago from congestive heart failure in her sleep. She never woke up and now he and his sister sit here watching the enormous tsunami gaining speed towards New York. He knows it will all be over soon and he takes his sister's hand and holds her until the end. The bone-crushing feeling only lasts for two seconds and then it's over. The twenty-five-story building his mother lived in in the Bronx is swept away in the blink of an eye. There is nothing left of what used to be their lives here.

Xx

After three and a half months had passed, they were getting ready for the final approach to Mars. Starships landed the same way they were launched straight up and down. The ground crew from SpaceX had made a landing pad similar to the launchpad in Florida. The only difference was it was a little bit smaller but with the proper guidance, they landed perfectly. Once everything was shut down the mission commander came back into the passenger bay and explained what was going to happen next.

"When you leave the passenger bay you will be wearing your outside suit until we get into the entryway to the colony. From there you will be put through decontamination and become acclimated with the oxygen levels here. After that has been completed you will be assigned to your new living quarters. Any questions?"

No one had anything to say so they just went with the flow. Soon every one of the two hundred and fifty passengers who took the flight to Mars was now off the Starship and in the colony.

Xx

There were areas you were not allowed to go to which was expected. The power plant where the solar panels transferred sunlight into power, the agricultural area where food was stored and grown, and the operations center where SpaceX ran all the operational systems from that kept you alive here on Mars. Other than that, you were free to go wherever you wanted to within reason. The size of Rick and Kate's new living quarters was a pretty decent size. Jenny and Kevin were in the same size room as Rick's. When Rick paid for everyone to come along on the ship to Mars, he was short one person because detective Esposito (may he rest in peace) decided to stay with his mother. He was offered a refund of thirty-two million dollars. Money was useless on Mars so he kept it on the ledger as a credit if he needed it in the future. At the start of their life on the planet, Lanie had a room of her own as did Alexis. It wasn't too long after being there when the loneliness of being by yourself in a room without anyone to talk to started getting to the ex-medical examiner and the ex-college student.

"Dad, is it okay if I ask Dr. Parish to move in with me?"

"Sure. Can I ask why?"

"I'm lonely. I need someone to talk to and I thought that this was a good solution."

"Have you talked to her about this?"

"Not yet. I wanted to make sure that you were okay with it first. There will be a room that you paid for sitting idle."

"I am pretty sure that we can use whoever's room becomes empty. Kate and I will use the room closest to us for a nursery for the baby."

"Great idea dad! Speaking of Kate how is she doing?"

"She's fine pumpkin. Once she made it through the morning sickness in her first trimester everything has been pleasant."

"Your daughter will be the first baby born on Mars. There are a couple of other first-time parents here too but yours will have the honor of being the first baby born here."

"I know isn't it great?"

"It is dad."

"I'm okay with you asking Lanie to move in with you. I know it's lonely here."

"Thanks, dad." Alexis leaves to tell Lanie the news. She hopes that she will agree to this.

Xx

_**Three months later…**_

Alexis passes Kate in the hallway when she is coming back from the colony's fourth council meeting.

"Hi, Kate! How'd the meeting go?" She asks.

"It went well. There are a couple of fewer problems we need to deal with now. The problems that we addressed were the appointment of a governor, a six-member town council and a law enforcement department."

"Are you the colony's new commissioner?"

"No, I'm not. Too many headaches. I am now the one and only detective on the planet, but there is nothing for me to investigate yet. There have been no crimes reported since we got here."

"I'm glad and yet I'm not. Having nothing to investigate must be driving you crazy."

"No, actually it's not. I have something more important to do than looking into crimes." Kate says as she drops her hand over her baby bump.

"I get it. how are you feeling?"

"Like I want to pop."

"It will be over soon and I can't wait to meet my little sister. Hey did you hear about Lanie?"

"No what's going on?" Kate asks.

"She is now the colony's official medical doctor. There are four doctors in all here, one OB, one EETN doc, one emergency room doc and Lanie who will work as a GP and since she was an M.E. the council asked her if she wanted to do both jobs. But she'd work with the living as a priority."

"That's fantastic."

"Oh, there's more," Alexis added slyly.

"There is?"

"She has a boyfriend."

"No! She would have told me about him by now."

"She would have if she wasn't so busy. She's seeing the EETN doctor."

"Why that little sneak. How long has this been going on?"

"At least a month now. I share a room with the woman and I can tell you that she will never be a saint no matter how many times she calls out the lord's name."

"Oh my. That must be embarrassing for you."

"No, it's not. Everyone needs to get their freak on. I understand."

"Wait a sec… do you have a special someone, Alexis?"

"Kate I don't kiss and tell," Alexis said as she looked down and found her feet very interesting.

"Don't worry sweetie, my lips are sealed."

"Thanks, Kate. Well, I'm off. Catch you later?" Alexis tells her.

"Yeah. Are you going to the lab?"

"I am. We're working on a new prototype of an oxygen generator to give us more volume of oxygen in case of decompression. It's almost finished."

"Good luck with that. See you later."

"Bye Kate."

Xx

Rick had been on Mars for almost four months now. And he was feeling what he defined as survivors' guilt. He felt as if he had nothing to contribute to the colony in a way of helping out. He tried to take up writing again but in the end, what he had written was just basically drabble or dribble if that fit better.

He often thought of his mother in what her last moments were like when she left this life. He missed her and he thought that if Jim made the trip then she might have been able to as well. He can't understand why she chose to stay and die. But what helped him through this oddly enough was David Troutman. He was able to show him what Earth had looked like after it was destroyed by Athos. The planet itself was just floating in pieces in space, void of any life. Dr. Troutman was able to connect to the Hubble telescope via the internet and look at what happened to the Earth. Nothing he saw there would be able to survive what had happened and he let Rick see for himself. The opening of the front door brings him from his thoughts as his wife comes into the room.

"Kate, your home early."

"I am at that. There is not much to do when there's no crime here. I'm thinking that most of the people here know what could happen if they broke any laws. Who knows maybe we have turned over a new leaf and learned how to achieve peace within the colony."

"That's good," Rick replied matter-of-factly.

Kate could tell that something was bothering him and decided to find out what it was.

"Rick, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Kate just a little down the dumps that's all. I'm pretty sure things will turn around soon until then I have you."

She smiled at what he just said. Three weeks into arriving on Mars they were surprised to find that there was a Roman Catholic priest, a rabbi, and a Christian reverend in the colony. They were married a month after they arrived on Mars. It worked out great because David Troutman and Emily Myers were married with them in a double ceremony.

It was then as Kate was reaching to put her jacket away in the closet, she felt a warm trickle running down her leg. It didn't take long to realize what was happening. Her water had just broken.

"Rick, I think there's a good chance we need to get to the clinic now. I know this because I'm standing in a puddle of amniotic fluid."

"Oh. Are you having contractions yet?"

"No just a little discomfort. But I can tell that they will be coming soon."

It was just under fourteen hours later when Kate was cradling her newborn daughter. They decided to name her Mattie after Rick's mother Martha. When they both looked at her the name fit her to a "T".

_**Present-day…**_

"MATTIE JOHANNA CASTLE! You will stop running through this room or else! I'm trying to get some work done here." Kate told her or rather yelled at her daughter.

Rick was standing in the doorway and when he heard his wife yell and he came to investigate. When Kate noticed him standing there looking at her, she gave him a look that said to keep their daughter occupied for the time being.

He did and took her into the living room. There he started spinning his tale…

"Once upon a time there was a prince and he really really liked the princess. But they were from a world that no longer exists…"

"They came from where I was from right daddy?" Mattie asked.

"Yes, that's right. You're from Earth. Just like we are. But our planet on longer exists."

"Athos."

"Yes, Athos. That was the day the prince and princess found out that they were going to have you."

"I'm named after the warrior princess Martha who gave us time to escape Earth right daddy?"

"She did. She will always be with you. Never forget that."

"I won't daddy."

Kate stood there listening to her husband tell their daughter how she was the hero in this story. They had made it work here on Mars and they were the better for it. There were issues but they were overcome quickly. The food they had shuttled up with them ended up becoming uneatable after a year's time. It had something to do with where it was stored. The farm that kept everyone fed was now using a combination of Martian and Earth soil to grow anything they wanted. Their first Thanksgiving was bountiful with the fruits of their labor.

Meat was what they lacked, actually any type of meat. They had experimented with a plant-based burger and a steak and it was something to add to their food supply but it never came close to real beef. The people in the colony were vegans.

Kate wonders how long they will be able to survive here. They have had seventy-two babies since Maggie was born, the land is supporting their nutritional needs, and they have the power to read by and the internet to keep them busy. There is a working government in place and there has not been one crime reported since they arrived five years ago. There have been people who have been sick and the medical staff had nursed them back to health. There have been people who have died here and they were treated with the respect they deserved after their lives ended.

Kate sits there thinking about how she almost missed her chance to live. If it was not for her talking to Rick when he told her everything about Athos at the coffee shop, she would have died on Earth five years ago. She can't see herself doing anything differently from then until now. Maybe she should tell him about the new baby they are going to have…

**A/N: This epilogue brings an end to this story. I want to thank everyone who came along for this ride, it was something that I thought might be liked by the readers and I hope that I delivered.**

**A/N 1: The cover art for this story was given to me by FDWojo. I thank you for this Frank.**

**A/N 2: I hope everyone has a safe and happy Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Happy Kwanzaa. Until next time…  
**


End file.
